Inter vs Napoli preview

October 18, 2014
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Inter vs Napoli 2-4The two Italian giants did not enjoy a perfect start to the new campaign and the match at Stadiu Giuseppe Meazza will be a good opportunity for one of them to kick-start their season.

But, with Inter losing 3-0 to Fiorentina and Napoli winning last two league fixtures, it is quite clear which side go into the game in better mood.

The squad rebuilding process is still under way at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, and while Walter Mazzarri appears to have better options than last season, he has yet to see his side gel properly.

While the likes of Icardi, Osvaldo and Kovacic have impressed in the opening exchanges, players like Vidic, Hernanes and Palacio are still finding their form, hence some inconsistent performances are not that surprising.

Inter were pretty impressive until a week before the international break, but back to back league defeats to Cagliari and Fiorentina, which saw them conceded seven goals in the process are definitely a cause for concern.

And having picked up just one point from previous two meetings with Napoli, odds of 2.60 (8/5) offered on home win do not look too attractive.

Mateo Kovacic and Yuto Nagatomo both face fitness tests, while Danilo D’Ambrosio and Pablo Osvaldo have been added to the infirmary.

Hugo Campagnaro and Jonathan are also unavailable, with Rodrigo Palacio expected to partner Mauro Icardi up front.

Probable starting line-up (3-5-2): Handanovic – Ranocchia, Vidic, Juan Jesus – Nagatomo, Kovacic, Medel, Hernanes, Dodo – Palacio, Icardi.

Even if it is still early in the season, Napoli have had their share of disappointments, having been eliminated from the Champions League, while suffering three setbacks in Serie A.

Rafael Benitez appeared to be under pressure after the 3-3 home draw with Palermo, but his side have since returned to the right track.

Napoli recorded the second group win in Europa League as they beat Slovan Bratislava away, but their fans were even more pleased by back to back triumphs over Sassuolo and Torino in the league.

As a result, the Azzurri climbed to seventh in the Serie A standings and are now available at 3.10 (21/10) to see off Inter as well.

Marek Hamsik and Jorginho have recovered from their respective injuries and are expected to start, while Gokhan Inler will be rested following his exploits for Switzerland.

Camilo Zuniga is widely tipped to start despite returning from international duty on Thursday, but Walter Gargano is out injured.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Rafael – Maggio, Koulibaly, Albiol, Zuniga – Jorginho, David Lopez – Callejon, Hamsik, Insigne – Higuain.

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