The 2017/18 Serie A season is in full swing now and the matches are coming thick and fast. Some of the weaker sides are beginning to fall away at the foot of the table while the strongest Italian sides are pulling away at the summit. The team who currently leads the way is Napoli as they are yet to drop points so far this term. However, their upcoming opponents, Inter, will be looking to de-rail their 100% record while hoping to extend their own unbeaten run. They are currently second in the table and will leapfrog Napoli if they win. They are the only two unbeaten sides in the top flight.

STATS

• Napoli have been simply sublime so far this season and with eight wins from eight matches, the league leaders are enjoying a fantastic run of form. The two most important victories came over Lazio, where they destroyed their fellow title challengers 4-1 and Roma, where they ran out narrow 1-0 winners in their last league fixture. They have won just one of their three Champions League matches but that hasn’t affected their blistering start to the domestic campaign.
• Inter have also been terrific this season and with seven wins and one draw, they are just two points below Napoli. They will be disappointed with their one draw, which was 1-1 against Bologna, but Mauro Icardi’s 97th-minute winner against AC Milan in their last match turned one point into a huge three. They also overcame Roma as they got a vital 3-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico.
• Dries Mertens has hit the ground running this season and with seven goals, he is Napoli’s leading goal scorer, only three players in Serie A have more so far.
• One of those players is Mauro Icardi of Inter, who has hit the back of the net on nine occasions, Ciro Immobile (11) and Paulo Dybala (10) are the only two players with more goals.

HEAD TO HEAD

The recent meetings between these two sides have been dominated by Napoli who have more wins in the past three seasons. The hosts have three wins in the last six league fixtures compared to Inter’s one solitary win back in April 2016. However, in the last four meetings in all competitions, the winning side has scored and kept a clean sheet, meaning that both teams have scored just twice in the last six matches.

NAPOLI NEWS

Another three points for Napoli in this game would put them in a fantastic position as they would hold a lead at the top of the table of at least five points. Although, they could be without one of their main men as Lorenzo Insigne will have a late fitness test to assess a muscle injury he picked up during the week.

Latest matches: SSC Napoli

17.10.2017	UEFA	Manchester City	SSC Napoli	2:1	L
14.10.2017	Seri	AS Roma	SSC Napoli	0:1	W
01.10.2017	Seri	SSC Napoli	Cagliari Calcio	3:0	W
26.09.2017	UEFA	SSC Napoli	Feyenoord Rotterdam	3:1	W
23.09.2017	Seri	Spal 2013	SSC Napoli	2:3	W

INTER NEWS

Inter can see themselves go top of the league with a win over Napoli, which would make them the only team in Serie A to avoid defeat in the opening nine matches. They are unlucky to be without Marcelo Brozovic for the clash as he has been brilliant in their early season title push. He isn’t expected to return until mid-November.

Latest matches: Inter Milan

15.10.2017	Seri	Inter Milan	AC Milan	3:2	W
01.10.2017	Seri	Benevento Calcio	Inter Milan	1:2	W
24.09.2017	Seri	Inter Milan	Genoa FC	1:0	W
19.09.2017	Seri	Bologna FC	Inter Milan	1:1	D
16.09.2017	Seri	FC Crotone	Inter Milan	0:2	W

SUMMARY

It is far too close to call a winner in this top-of-the-table match-up as both sides go into it in high spirits on the back of two brilliant starts to the new season. This means that a draw is the most likely result with two strong attacking teams locking horns. However, if a winner has to be predicted, with Napoli’s better run paired with home advantage, they would have to be considered favourites for the three points.