Inter Milan and Napoli square off in a high-profile clash on Sunday night with both sides having plenty to play for. The hosts refuse to give up their European hopes just yet, whereas Partenopei are keen to put pressure on AS Roma in fight for automatic Champions League place.

Mixed fortunes for Inter

Inter fans have been quite a ride this season in Serie A. Nerazzurri have been in erratic form throughout the campaign which saw them beat Juventus and then suffer a disappointing drop to as far as 14^th place in the standings. Stefano Pioli has managed to steady the ship as Inter Milan head into the closing stages of the season fighting for the Europa League spot. The fight has been difficult over the past few weeks as Inter are yet to record a win in their last five Serie A matches. Inter have been scoring goals for fun lately with Mauro Icardi in fire form of late, but they also conceded plenty of goals which ultimately cost them some valuable points. Having won only two points since mid-March, Nerazzurri have put themselves in a tight spot and brought plenty of pressure on Stefano Pioli’s shoulders as well. New owners are prepared to go through another rebuilding process this summer and one of the changes they look to make is to bring a high-profile manager to the helm. Nerazzurri could end up selling their prized possession Ivan Perisic in order to honour the Financial Fair Play regulations and make room for fresh investments during the summer transfer window.

Stefano Pioli will have no major selection issues ahead of the Sunday’s match as defender Christian Ansaldi remains the only unavailable player for the Napoli fixture.

Napoli pushing for automatic Champions League spot

Partenopei have been one of the most exciting Serie A sides to watch this season. Free-scoring Maurizio Sarri’s side has bagged no less than 77 goals in the league this season which makes them the most prolific team in the Italian top flight. Napoli have been defensively tight as well, shipping in mere 35 goals with only AS Roma and Juventus boasting records better than theirs. Sarri’s men have been prevented from scoring just twice entire season and with the likes of Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon and Marek Hamsik in fine form, it will be exciting to see if Inter’s defences will be able to withhold the pressure on Sunday. Napoli have their place in the top-three guaranteed already, but Partenopei are still have plenty to fight for as they are eager to avoid unnecessary distraction in the Champions League playoffs and will challenge AS Roma for the runners-up place until the very last moment. Maurizio Sarri’s men have outclassed Inter in the reverse match back in December with a clean-cut 3-0 win and will be motivated to score a double on Sunday.

The visitors have a clean bill of health to report as well although Maurizio Sarri will be sweating over the fitness of Lorenzo Tonelli, who is still struggling with injury.

Verdict

With both sides in good scoring shape, we expect to see plenty of goals in Milan on Sunday night. Both Inter and Napoli are forced to go hard from the off in order to achieve their goals so we should witness an openly-contested clash.

Top pick: Draw no bet – Napoli   1.67 (4/6) @Coral

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   1.53 (8/15) @Bet365

Alternative pick 2: Both teams to score – yes   1.48 (10/21) @188bet