Inter Milan and Napoli will be looking to resume their Serie A campaign with a win when they face each other at San Siro on matchday 16. Napoli are unbeaten in the Serie A this season, winning 13 games and drawing two; they are currently the only unbeaten team in the top five European leagues domestically. Inter Milan have also only lost one of their last five Serie A games.
Napoli will be looking to dominate and win the game against Inter to make a statement that they are playing to win the Serie A title this season. Napoli sits first on the Serie A table and have a comfortable lead of eight points over second-placed Milan.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan currently sits fifth in the Serie A table, three points behind second-placed Milan. They remain in contention to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
We now look at some of the stats for both teams compared to each other for the current season.
How have the teams performed?
The above viz shows the percentile rank of the home team in comparison to other Serie A teams. Inter Milan have had a mixed start to the Serie A campaign this season. Inter Milan have struggled to get a result in their favour against the top Serie A teams, having lost games against Lazio, Milan, Roma, and Juventus. Inter Milan are currently heading towards European glory in terms of securing a spot that gives them a chance to compete in the Champions League. They have become a high goal-scoring team, and their percentile rank is high in the attacking department. Inter Milan are very strong regarding goals per 90 minutes and xG per 90. Inter Milan dominates most of the stats regarding possession, especially key passes per 90 and passes per 90. In defence, they have been below average this season, conceding 22 goals already in just 15 Serie A games.
The above viz shows the percentile rank of the away team in comparison to other Serie A teams. Napoli have had an unbeaten start to the Serie A campaign this season, winning 13 games and drawing two. Napoli have scored the most goals and conceded the third-lowest number of goals in the current Serie A campaign. Napoli have been dominant in all three game departments: attacking, defending, and possession. Napoli are very strong regarding goals per 90, xG per 90, and shots per 90. Napoli dominates most of the stats regarding possession, especially passes per 90, accurate passes %, and final third entries per 90. In defence, they are efficient in terms of pressing and rank at the 90.4 percentile for a high pressing success rate with a pressing efficiency of 53%. In this match, Napoli is the more dominant team, demonstrating their potential as a team to beat this season.
Attacking efficiency
One of the reasons behind some early success for both teams is their efficiency in attack. Inter Milan are the second-best team in terms of efficiency of positional attacks, with 14% overall efficiency. In terms of efficiency in counterattacks, they are currently at 21% efficiency. Inter Milan averages 26.07 positional attacks and 2.73 counterattacks per match. They take 14.8 shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 37%.
The visitors also have a similar record. Napoli are the top-ranked team in terms of efficiency of positional attacks, with 16% overall efficiency. In terms of efficiency in counterattacks, they are currently at 26% efficiency. They average 32.53 positional attacks and 2.2 counterattacks. The shot average is 17 per match, and the accuracy rate is 35.7%. Both teams can hit each other on the counterattacks.
Both teams in attack
Inter Milan are currently fifth in the 2022-23 Italian Serie A, with 30 points from 15 games played. They have won ten matches, drawn zero, and lost five. They have scored 34 goals and conceded 22 goals. We can observe from the above viz that the team has scored most of its goals from inside the box. The team has also scored a few goals from outside the box. Inter Milan have an xG per 90 of 2.18 and an average of 14.8 shots per 90.
Napoli are currently first in the 2022-23 Italian Serie A, with 41 points from 15 games played. They have won 13 matches, drawn two, and lost zero. They have scored 37 goals and conceded 12. We can observe from the above viz that the team has scored most of its goals from inside the box. The team has also scored a few goals from outside the box. Napoli have an xG per 90 of 2.1 and an average of 17 shots per 90.
Numbers in defence
The above chart represents the ranking of teams in Serie A based on their percentage of defensive and aerial duel wins. It can be seen that Napoli are ranked second with a 60% win rate in defensive duels won. Inter Milan, however, is not far behind at 56%. On average, the home team makes 36.13 interceptions versus 37.8 interceptions per 90 for Napoli. Napoli are the superior team in the air, winning 57% of their aerial duels to Inter Milan’s 55%.
Key players
Edin Dzeko is likely to lead the line for the home team. He has scored six goals and provided two assists in the current season of Serie A. Dzeko likes to score against the big teams. He scored a brace against Atalanta and one goal against Milan. Edin Dzeko’s height allows him to beat the opposition’s defence on aerial duels and crosses. He will look to take advantage of this in the match. Dzeko has provided eight goal contributions in 15 Serie A appearances this season.
Victor Osimhen has always been an essential player for Napoli. The Nigerian striker has scored nine goals in the league this season and will be looking to get into double figures in this match. The viz above shows that Victor Osimhen has scored the majority of his goals from inside and around the 6-yard box. Inter Milan’s defence will have to remain tight and can’t afford to give him space inside the penalty area. He will be the greatest threat to the visitors. Osimhen has provided 11 goal contributions in just 11 Serie A appearances this season.
Team news
Brozovic will not be fully fit for the game against Napoli; Mkhitaryan could replace him in the starting lineup. Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku are expected to lead the line as Lautaro Martinez returned late after winning the World Cup.
Spalletti and his Napoli side have been lucky that many of their crucial first-team players, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, missed the World Cup. Most Napoli first-team players are fully fit and expected to start with their first-choice line-up.
This will be game week 16’s most significant match as two Serie A heavyweights, one fighting for a top-four position and another fighting to win the Serie A title, go head-to-head at San Siro. Inter Milan will have the home advantage, but it won’t be easy for them to beat Spalletti’s Napoli. Both teams will need a bit of magic in the attack and hope their strikers get on the scoresheet.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
