Napoli host Inter at the Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday night in the Coppa Italia quarter-final, as two of the current top three sides in Serie A face-off for a place in the semi-finals against either Lazio or Juventus.
The Partenopei head into the fixture on the back of a 3-1 victory of Sassuolo on Saturday night, a win that sees Maurizio Sarri’s side sit top of Serie A after round 20.
The 2014 Coppa Italia winners didn’t enter this season’s Coppa Italia until the round of 16 stage, due to their participation in the Europa League. Goals from Omar El Kaddouri, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon saw off Hellas Verona 3-0 at the San Paolo, a victory that keeps the five times Coppa Italia winners on track to capture their first ever domestic double, a feat not even achieved by the great Napoli side of Diego Maradona & co in the late 1980’s.
The Nerazzurri, meanwhile, only managed a 1-1 draw away to Atalanta on Saturday, and the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza side have now only won one of their last four fixtures, a run that has seen Roberto Mancini’s men drop from first to third in the league table.
The seven times Coppa Italia winners also entered this season’s Coppa Italia at the round of 16 stage, after finishing as one of the top eight sides in Serie A last campaign. Goals from Rodrigo Palacio, Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic were enough to see off Serie B side Cagliari 3-0 in Milan.
The two sides have already met this season in Serie A, with Napoli running out 2-1 winners at the San Paolo in late November thanks to two goals from Gonzalo Higuain. Recent history also favours the Partenopei, as they knocked out the Milan side in the 2012 and 2015 versions of the Coppa Italia, winning 2-0 and 1-0 respectively in Naples.
Both sides are expected to make a number of changes, with Napoli expected to rest their explosive front trio of Higuain, Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne.
The Nerazzurri could re-call midfielder Filipe Melo following his return from suspension, while Juan Pablo Carrizo is set to replace Samir Handanovic between the sticks. Rodrigo Palacio is set to replace top-scorer Mauro Icardi up-front in a 4-3-3 formation.
While Inter are the favourites for the game, Napoli have beewn tipped by pundits to win the match. If you are betting on the game from Ireland, check out these free betting offers to grab yourself a bonus.
Form Guide: Napoli (W-W-W-W-W) Inter (W-L-W-L-D)
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Chiriches, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Valdifiori, Hamsik; El Kaddouri, Gabbiadini, Mertens.
Inter: Carrizo, Santon, Miranda, Murillo, Juan Jesus; Melo, Kondogbia, Brozovic; Biabiany, Perisic, Palacio.