The Italian Serie A continues on Matchday 27 with a blockbuster fixture between the winners of the past two top flight titles as 2022/23 champions Napoli play host to Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan who won the league in 2023/24. The exciting matchup is billed to take place on the 2nd of March, 2025 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy.
After winning the league in the 2022/23 season under Italian head coach Luciano Spaletti which was a first top flight title since the 1989/90 season, they endured a disappointing spell in the 2023/24 season as they finished tenth in the Serie A standings. They failed to qualify for Europe after reaching the Round of 16 in the 2023/24 Champions League season before being eliminated by Barcelona 4-2 on aggregate. They finished the season with 53 points, eight points adrift of Lazio in the final European qualifying spot.
Former Serie A winning coach Antonio Conte was brought in to steady the ship and much was expected of them going into the season. The biggest news of the summer was the transfer of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen who pushed for a move away from the club after being told he was not in the plans of the new Italian coach.
After failed negotiations with Chelsea and Saudi Arabia side Al Ahli, the striker agreed to join Turkish side Galatasaray on loan till the end of the season. Other key departures were center-back Leo Ostigard who joined French Ligue one side Stade Rennais, experienced Poland international Piotr Zielinski who moved to rivals Inter Milan after failing to agree a new contract at the end of his current one and Jesper Lindstrom who moved to the English Premier League to join Everton on a season long-loan deal.
They signed former Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea while Scotland international Scott McTominay was signed from Manchester United. David Neres was also brought in from Benfica while McTominay’s countryman Billy Gilmour was signed from Brighton and Hove Albion. They were also able to fend off transfer requests from European top clubs as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia remained at the club.
As of the time of this writing, they are currently second in the Serie A standings with 35 points from their opening sixteen games and are just two points adrift of current leaders Atalanta. They have won eleven matches, drawn twice and have lost three times in the league this season. After an impressive preseason, they were given a wakeup call by Verona on Matchday one as they were thrashed 3-0 in Antonio Conte’s first game in charge.
They responded to the defeat by winning their second league match of the season against last season’s surprise package, Bologna 3-0. Their most recent league match was a comeback 3-1 victory at Udinese as second half goals from Romelu Lukaku, an own goal by Giannetti and a strike from Anguissa secured maximum points. In the Italian cup, they were eliminated by Lazio in the round of 16 after falling to a 3-1 scoreline at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Inter Milan on the other hand have had a brilliant start to the season as they look to defend their league title. They won the title in 2023/24 season in convincing fashion as they finished with 19 points ahead of second-placed city rivals AC Milan. They also won the Supercoppa Italia defeating Napoli 1-0 courtesy of a late Lautaro Martinez goal.
In the summer, they signed Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski from Napoli on a free transfer and they also brought in Davide Frattesi from Sassuolo. Carlos Augusto and Marko Arnautovic were signed from Monza and Bologna respectively after successful loan stints, while Iran striker Mehdi Taremi was signed from Porto.
Young Argentine Valentin Carboni joined Marseille on a season long-loan deal while Stefano Sensi and Alexis Sanchez left the club to join Monza and Udinese respectively at the end of their contracts.
As of the time of writing, they sit third in the league with 34 points from 16 league matches and are three points off Atalanta in first place. They have a game in hand as their 14 fixture against Fiorentina was suspended due to a medical emergency involving a Fiorentina player.
They have won ten times, drawn four matches and have only lost once in the league all season. They began their title defence with a 2-2 draw at Genoa on Matchday one before claiming their first win of the season with a 2-0 win at home against Lecce. Their only loss of the season was a 2-1 home loss to city rivals Ac Milan on Matchday five. Their most recent outing was a 6-0 demolition of title contenders Lazio as they sent a fierce warning to their title rivals.
In the UEFA Champions League, they have started brightly as they currently sit sixth in the new 36-team format with thirteen points from their first six games. They have four wins, one draw and a single defeat so far in Europe this season.
They began the season with a goalless draw against English Premier League Champions, Manchester City before picking up their first victory on Matchday two when they thrashed Serbia side Red Star Belgrade 4-0. Their lone defeat was on Matchday six when they were beaten by Bundesliga Champions Bayer Leverkusen by a single goal which was also the first time they have conceded in Europe this season. In the Italian cup, they prepare to face Udinese in the round of 16.
The first meeting between both sides this season ended 1-1. Napoli have claimed just one victory in the past five games between both clubs while Inter Milan have won twice with the remaining two ending in stalemate.
Match tickets
The exciting match at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium kicks off on the 2nd of March, 2025.
The magnificent 54,726-capacity stadium in Naples with its electrifying atmosphere will be ready to host this important fixture.
Getting Napoli vs Inter Milan tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team News
As of the time of writing, exciting winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is currently injured while center-back Alessandro Buongiorno is also out until next year.
Predicted Lineup:
Napoli: Meret(GK), Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera, Anguissa, Lobotka, Politano, McTominay, Neres, Lukaku.
As of the time of writing, Simone Inzaghi has an almost full squad to choose from with Benjamin Pavard the only key player missing with injury.
Predicted Lineup:
Inter Milan: Sommer(GK), Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Martinez, Thuram.
Prediction
Both clubs are in fine form but Inter Milan have a very strong defense and their quality in attack is enough to trouble any opposition. They should narrowly win this contest. Get your Napoli tickets on time ahead of this encounter.
Main photo credit:
IMAGO / sportphoto24