Opta Focus – stats and much more ahead of the trip to Inter
On Sunday 10 November, Inter and Napoli will face off at the Meazza in the final fixture of Serie A Week 12. In recent years, the two teams have frequently clashed while near or at the top of the table. In each of their last seven Serie A encounters, one of the two teams was in first place at the start of the matchday (four times for Inter, three for Napoli). This is particularly noteworthy considering that in the previous 17 Serie A seasons, this had only occurred three times. Analysing recent history further, the trend strongly favours the Milan-based team. Napoli have lost seven of their last 12 Serie A matches against Inter, winning only one and drawing the other three. Since the 2018/19 season, Inter are the side against whom Napoli have suffered the most losses in the competition. Napoli, led by Antonio Conte, will be vying to claim three points against Inter at San Siro for the first time since 30 April 2017, when Jose Maria Callejon’s goal sealed a 1-0 victory.
Inter’s strength: they always score at home and capitalise on build-up play
Inter have found the net in their last 28 consecutive home Serie A matches, with only Barcelona (29) and Lille (30) in Europe’s top five leagues on a longer goalscoring run. Napoli, however, have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four away matches and have conceded only three goals on the road so far. In Europe’s top five leagues, only Real Sociedad (one) and Lille (one) have done better, while Liverpool and Monaco have also conceded just three. The Nerazzurri have shown immense strength both offensively and defensively, boasting a +70 shot differential (178 for, 108 against), over double Napoli’s +34 (155 for, 121 against), the highest across Serie A’s first 11 matchdays. Simone Inzaghi’s squad has excelled at converting extended possession spells into scoring opportunities, leading Serie A in terms of goals following sequences of ten or more passes.
ThuLa pose the biggest threat. Dimarco the extra weapon
Two of the key players behind Inter’s 20th league title, Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, are undoubtedly the players Napoli will need to contain at San Siro. Over this calendar year, only Dusan Vlahovic (16) and Mateo Retegui (15) have scored more goals than Martinez (14) and the French forward (13). While Thuram, currently the second-highest goal scorer this season with seven goals, has not found the back of the net in his last four games, Martinez could make Inter history with one more goal, which would make him the Inter player with the most goals scored at home to Napoli in Serie A’s three-points-for-a-win era (currently tied on three with Ivan Zamorano). Napoli will also need to keep an eye on Federico Dimarco’s offensive skills, as he’s the defender with the most chances created in Serie A this season (27), ranking second among defenders across Europe’s top five leagues, with only Alex Grimaldo (32) ahead of him. Since rejoining Inter in 2021/22, only Theo Hernandez (31) has been involved in more Serie A goals among defenders. Dimarco has played a direct role in 25, with 12 goals and 13 assists, cementing his position as an additional attacking threat.
Article by Opta’s editorial team
