Napoli Vs Inter Milan
Napoli Vs Inter Milan Saturday 12 February, 2022 – 17:00 (GMT)
Italian Serie A
Pick: Under 2.5 Goals
Odds: Evens
Bookmaker: Bet365
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 10 February 2022)
Preview: Italy’s top two meet in Naples for what has the ingredients for a titanic tussle at the Diego Armando Maradona. A fifth consecutive league victory for Napoli will see them rise above opponents Inter, who are coming off defeat in the Milan derby.
Table of Contents
Napoli – Defence key to winning fifth-straight game?
A first away win in Venice over relegated embattled Venezia, coupled with defeat for leaders Inter in last week’s Milan derby, has added extra significance to Saturday’s contest at the Diego Armando Maradona. This is because a single point is all that stands between Maurizio Sarri’s men and the Serie A summit, which could soon be vacated by the Nerazzurri should they succumb to the charms of an in-form Partenopei.
Napoli have made an exceptional start to the second half of the season, with four wins and a credible 1-1 draw in Turin against Juventus, who are now up to ten games without losing, seeing them surge back into Scudetto contention. Three of those victories saw the league’s stingiest defence (0.67 conceded per-game) preserve the clean sheet, as has been the case in 12 of the Partenopei’s 16 league victories this term.
Key Stat: Atalanta’s 3-2 victory at the Diego Armando Maradona in December remains the only occasion in 12 matches this season whereby the visiting team scored more than once versus Napoli.
Inter Milan – Leaders finally showing signs of fragility?
Fresh from welcoming Jose Mourinho and his Roma team to San Siro in the Coppa Italia midweek, the Portuguese returning to the club for whom he landed an unprecedented treble in 2010, Inter look to build on a 2-0 victory on Tuesday that keeps alive the prospects of another historic treble haul. Those aspirations could be dealt a further blow, however, were they to lose for a second league game running.
Keen to protect a 14-game undefeated streak prior to last weekend’s Milan derby, the Nerazzurri contrived to throw away all three points as they were beaten 2-1. This despite leading at the interval. It was only a second loss all season and first since going down to Lazio in mid-October. But it had been coming, Inter either winning by a solitary goal or not at all in their previous five Serie A contests (W3 D1 L1).
Key Stat: There have been just three instances (from 11 games) in which Inter didn’t score more than one goal in a Serie A away game this season. However, all three occurred in fixtures against current top six sides: losing 3-1 at Lazio and drawing 1-1 and 0-0 with Milan and Atalanta respectively.
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Napoli Vs Inter Milan Betting Advice
It seems an awfully long time since a team other than Inter Milan occupied top spot in Italy. However, the Nerazzurri’s stranglehold on first place appears to be waning, squandering points twice in recent outings (W1 D1 L1). Their response to losing last week’s Milan derby, however, was emphatic. A comprehensive 2-0 win at home to Roma on Tuesday seeing them safely progress to the last four of the Coppa Italia.
Napoli Vs Inter Milan – Key Facts:
- Inter prevailed in a five-goal extravaganza first time around this season. A repeat seems unlikely, however. All five preceding meetings in league and cup produced no more than two goals.
- This includes the past two encounters in Naples (both ending 1-1). Napoli boast the stronger form, though, winning four in a row compared to Inter’s W2 D1 L1 across the same period.
- If Napoli are to win, it will likely be to nil (12 of 16 league wins occurred this way). However, only Atalanta could prevent Inter from scoring on the road this season (11 away games).
A win for Napoli in Naples, something they have not achieved in this fixture in their last two attempts (D1 L1), would see Sarri’s side return to the league summit for the first time since November. Four successive victories and the meanest defence in Italy are both big positives for the hosts. With so much tension in the air, though, a tight tussle surely beckons. Between them they have conceded just 17 in 24 Serie A games.
Best Betting Odds – Napoli Vs Inter Milan
Napoli – 9/5 (BetVictor)
Draw – 5/2 (WilliamHill)
Inter Milan – 6/4 (BetFred)
