Prediction: Inter vs Napoli

1st October 2011

Having shown a lot of improvement under new boss Claudio Ranieri, Inter enter this derby clash in good spirits, even if they are still missing quite a few first team regulars. Napoli managed to return to winning ways as they beat Villarreal in midweek, with the Partenopei hoping to stay in touch with Serie A leaders by winning at Giuseppe Meazza.

Inter have experienced numerous problems under Gian Piero Gasperini, so after making a big mistake by appointing the former Genoa man, Massimo Moratti was spot on with his decision to sack Gasperini after the defeat in Novara. Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri was given the tough task of picking up the players’ spirits and improving the team morale, but he has done remarkably well at the start of his reign, having masterminded away wins over Bologna and CSKA Moscow. That has got to be considered quite a feat when we know that the Neroazzurri were, and still are, without Wesley Sneijder and several other starters. Claudio Ranieri was given a major boost as Douglas Maicon, Dejan Stankovic and Giampaolo Pazzini were cleared to face Napoli, but Wesley Sneijder, Thiago Motta, Emiliano Viviano, Ivan Cordoba and Andrea Poli are all sidelined, whereas Andrea Ranocchia misses out through suspension.

Even though they were beaten 5:0 by Barcelona in the dress rehearsal for the new season, Napoli started the season in impressive fashion, beating Cesena and Milan in Serie A, as well as bringing one point from their Champions League clash with Manchester City. Walter Mazzarri’s decision to rest almost all starters in the game against Chievo came back to haunt him as not only did the Partenopei lose in Verona, but they seemed to have lost momentum and produced an under-par performance in their next match against Fiorentina as well. Napoli, however, didn’t need a lot of time to return to the right track as they made a giant step towards Champions League knockout stages by beating Villarreal in the group of death. The Partenopei enter the Inter game without top scorer Edison Cavani, midfielder Blerim Dzemaili and defender Miguel Britos, meaning that Ezequiel Lavezzi is likely to start as a lone striker.

Conclusion

There is not much separating the two teams at the moment, so draw looks like a logical option. Inter have improved of late, but are still missing Sneijder, Motta and Ranocchia, among others, whereas Napoli are playing great football this term, but don’t look capable of picking all three points from Meazza, not without Edison Cavani.

Verdict: Draw (X)

Best Odds: 12/5

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler