After losing to Torino, Napoli find themselves in an interesting situation. Although the Partenopei are still in contention for the final Champions League spot, they now have Lazio breathing down their necks at just two points behind. Given this, they certainly would have hoped that Juventus would have been able to defeat Roma on Monday so as to have a three point gap between them and the second-placed Giallorossi.
But, simply put, Rafa Benitez's men will want to win this in order not only to keep the Biancocelesti at bay but also keep up the pressure on Rudi Garcia's side as they hope to avoid the dreaded Champions League play-off rounds for the upcoming season.
Unfortunately for last season's Coppa Italia winners, they have had to deal with a whole slew of injuries, with key players such as Lorenzo Insigne still on the treatment table, but the team and their fans will be pleased to hear that the influential attacker could soon be making a return to action. Juan Zuniga, after a spell on the sidelines with his own injury woes will likely make his return against Inter, but it remains to be seen whether he will feature.
Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini's side had strung together a three-game winning streak before seeing it snapped by Fiorentina courtesy of a goal from Chelsea loanee Mohamed Salah. Whilst the Nerazzurri are still in contention in the Europa League as one out of a quintet of Italian sides to make it to the round of 16, their ninth-placed standing means that unless they start making some drastic improvements, they may have to miss out on European football for next season.
Two of the team's new signings - Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri - have experienced vastly different outcomes since making the move to Italy. For the Arsenal striker, the goals have been difficult to come by and he is still seeking to break his duck in Serie A. Unfortunately, the fans nor the Italian press have not been as patient and in fact, he was recently named as the second-worst January signing by Gazzetta dello Sport.
On the other hand, former Bayern Munich man Shaqiri, who struggled to nail down a spot in the starting XI whilst in Germany, has been in great form since arriving two months ago and has won the confidence of his new coach with his solid displays and burgeoning partnership with the team's key attackers - South American duo Rodrigo Palacio and Mauro Icardi.
As Inter have been unable to beat Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo in nearly 18 years - with their last win arriving in October 1997 - Nerazzurri fans will certainly hope that their team can finally buck the trend and defeat a side that has consistently thwarted them time and time again. Meanwhile, the Partenopei will definitely want to earn maximum points as they hope to keep Lazio at bay and try to seal an automatic Champions League berth at the expense of Roma.
Napoli vs. Inter team sheets
Napoli's starting XI: Andujar; Henrique, Albiol, Koulibaly, Strinic; Inler, David Lopez; Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens; Higuain
Inter's starting XI: Handanovic; Santon, Ranocchia, Juan Jesus, D'Ambrosio; Brozovic, Medel, Guarin; Shaqiri; Palacio, Icardi
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