All eyes will be on the Stadio San Paolo this weekend as third-placed Inter Milan travel to runners-up Napoli. Victory for the Nerazzuri will secure them a place in the top four and Champions League qualification next season.
Four points currently separate third-placed Inter from AC Milan and Roma in fifth and sixth with two games left. Luciano Spalletti’s Inter know a win will guarantee them a top four finish – even a draw could be enough depending on the results of the other games.
Napoli meanwhile find themselves, as they have for most of the season, ‘stuck’ in second place – too far from Juventus but still far away from Inter below them.
Inter eased the pressure from Atalanta (4th place) below them with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Chievo on Monday. This sent them back into third place to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches.
Inter will have their defence to thank if they secure a top four position this season. Their goalscoring has been criminally bad with just 54 goals in 36 matches.
Conceding just 28 goals this term, Inter Milan have the second-best defensive record in Serie A thus far – only Juventus (27) have let in fewer. We are predicting the score to be 0-0 at half-time in our first Napoli vs Inter Milan betting tips.
With the pressure off the hosts in what is essentially a dead rubber for them, Napoli could lack the impetus to secure a result. However, given its their last home game for the season could serve as boosting factor for the Partenopei to beat Inter on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan will hope they can address their attacking woes on Sunday and secure at least a draw heading into the final game of the season next weekend. A loss against Napoli could open the trap door to a disastrous sixth-place finish.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The two teams have faced each other 162 times in their history, with Inter coming out on top on 74 occasions. Napoli have won 48 matches while there have been 40 draws.
Inter were victorious in the reverse fixture this season, with a Lautaro Martinez goal in the first minute of stoppage time giving them a 1-0 victory at the San Siro. Napoli ended the game with nine men, after both Kalidou Koulibaly and Lorenzo Insigne were sent off.
There have been a series of tight tussles between Napoli and Inter Milan in recent times and we’re guessing that trend will continue at Stadio San Paolo on Sunday night.
The last four encounters have thrown up two goalless stalemates and a 1-0 win for each team, so defences should be ontop. An Under 2.5 goals prediction looks like a safe bet.
FORM GUIDE
Napoli have been in excellent form recently, picking up four victories from their last five league games.
Defeat to Atalanta aside, Carlo Ancelotti’s team have looked strong in recent weeks although they have only kept one clean sheet in that time.
Inter are unbeaten in their last five league matches although they have only picked two wins on two occasions during this run.
Draws at home to Juventus and Roma are nothing to be sniffed at, but they will be disappointed at their failure to beat 16th-placed Udinese the last time they were on the road.
PREDICTION
Recent history suggests this fixture is usually a tight affair, bettors can get good odds at Under 2.5 at BetBiga.com.
With Napoli missing key defenders alongside Inter Milan’s desire to win the game on Sunday, bettors could back the away side to deliver.
Inter know a win will get them the Champions League qualification they desire. However, it will be a surprise if they attack Napoli early on and leave themselves vulnerable at the back.
Despite the 10-point advantage Napoli have, there is not much to choose between the two sides and the visitors should return to the San Siro with their unbeaten run intact.
SCORE PREDICTION: Napoli 1-1 Inter Milan
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