INTER VS. NAPOLI, A SCUDETTO NIGHT AT SAN SIRO
On Sunday, January 11 at 20:30 CET, all eyes will be on Inter vs. Napoli at San Siro, a crucial crossroads in the Scudetto race. On the one hand, Cristian Chivu’s Inter are charging towards the top and looking to open what could be a decisive gap, on the other, Antonio Conte’s Napoli are facing a real test of strength as they try to halt the leaders’ breakaway and throw the race wide open again. It’s a night of star players, with Lautaro Martínez and Rasmus Højlund ready to lead the way.
Inter, the curse of the head-to-head
After their derby defeat, Inter shifted into top gear: six consecutive wins have allowed them to breakaway at the top, taking advantage of recent home slips by Milan and Napoli, edging closer to the symbolic “Winter Champions” title, if pending fixtures go their way.
Recent history favours teams leading the way at the halfway point. Since the 2004/05 season, when the league expanded to 20 teams, the mid-season leader has gone on to win the Scudetto in all but four cases, making this fixture all the more important.
There is one statistic that Chivu will want to change: Inter have not beaten Napoli, Milan or Juventus in a head-to-head since the Scudetto-deciding derby in May 2024. While dominant in most league matches, Inter have often struggled against top rivals. Three of their four defeats this season came against teams right behind Martínez and his teammates.
Napoli represent the first major hurdle on the road to the Scudetto. A win over the Azzurri would put Inter seven points clear of the reigning champions.
Offensively, the Nerazzurri remain the most prolific in Serie A: 40 goals scored, eleven more than Milan, with 24 of those at San Siro. Inter also lead in total shots (316), shots on target (112), and chances created (240). Yet this overwhelming output has not always been converted into an advantage. They have scored on only one opening shot of a match, against Roma, highlighting an attack that can be less clinical than expected at times.
Napoli, Conte and their test against the leaders
Antonio Conte thrives on nights like this. Pressure, fine margins, intensity: these are the conditions in which he’s built his biggest successes. Last season, the two 1-1 draws were crucial in keeping Inter at bay and staying in the title race right until the end, while the 3-1 win in the first half of the season at the Maradona broke Inter’s momentum and gave Napoli a boost after the loss to Torino.
This time, Conte will have to manage without key players like De Bruyne and Anguissa, as well as David Neres, who had recently been finding consistency and form.
The Azzurri remain defensively solid at protecting a lead. They have not dropped a single point once ahead, and they are the league’s best team for headed goals (seven). Their main weakness, however, is their away form. All four of their Serie A defeats have come on the road, including their last trip to San Siro against Milan. Conte will be determined to conquer the stadium, making Sunday’s clash a critical test for the Partenopei’s title ambitions.
Lautaro vs. Højlund, a face-off between strikers
The most anticipated clash is between the two standout strikers of the league. Lautaro Martínez comes off a goalless game at Parma, ending a five-match scoring streak, but his role as a leader remains unquestioned: ten goals and four assists in the league, with six of those goals proving decisive, the best record in Serie A. Known for his first-touch finishes, El Toro has scored eight of his ten goals with his first touch, showing extraordinary timing and precision.
Rasmus Højlund has been even more prolific in December, scoring four goals compared to Lautaro’s three, including two crucial braces, and delivering standout performances in the EA Sports FC Supercup. The Danish forward combines power with speed and is highly efficient: six goals from eleven shots on target, compared to Lautaro’s 25 attempts. All of Højlund’s goals have come inside the box, just like Lautaro’s, underlining that these are two pure strikers, lethal in the final third.
Other key players: quality and big comebacks
Behind the strikers, Inter can count on Federico Dimarco, back to his best form: three goals and seven assists, leading all defenders in key passes (43) and chances created in big games. In Europe, only Grimaldo keeps pace in his position. All eyes will also be on Piotr Zieliński, a former hero on nights like these, who faces Napoli at the peak of his Inter career.
For Napoli, Scott McTominay ended a goal drought of over two months against Sassuolo. He has already scored two decisive goals in three meetings against Inter, adding even more excitement to Sunday’s showdown.
(Photo LaPresse)