The complete guide ahead of Inter vs. Napoli
Team
— YesterdayMatchday 20’s big game: stats, storylines and everything you need to know
After their midweek Serie A win over Parma, Inter are ready to get straight back into action on Matchday 20. The Nerazzurri host Napoli at San Siro on Sunday 11 January at 20:45 CET in a true heavyweight clash at the top of the table: Cristian Chivu’s side sit in first place, while Napoli are third, just four points behind the league leaders.
It’s a big match that promises plenty of excitement, as also reflected by the numbers, stats and storylines surrounding Inter vs Napoli.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Sunday's game between Inter and Napoli will be their 160th meeting in Serie A. History favours the Nerazzurri, who have claimed 70 wins compared to Napoli’s 48, with 41 draws completing the picture. Overall, only Juventus have recorded more league victories against the Partenopei (71), and the same applies to goals scored: Inter have scored 227 against Napoli, second only to Juventus (229).
Inter are also unbeaten in their last eight Serie A home matches against Napoli at San Siro, recording five wins and three draws over that run.
INTER'S STATS
Inter are maintaining an impressively high pace in the league. For the seventh time in their history, the Nerazzurri have won 14 of their first 18 Serie A matches, and Cristian Chivu’s side are currently on a six-game winning streak in the league, their best run since January-March 2024, when they put together ten straight victories.
After 18 league matches, Inter have scored 40 goals. They have reached that mark at this stage of the season in five of the last six Serie A campaigns, as many times as in the previous 70 editions combined. Thirteen different players have scored for Inter, with seven of those 40 goals from defenders. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen have done better, with eight goals from defenders (Como also have seven). Chivu’s side have also scored six headed goals in this Serie A season, a total matched by Cremonese; only Napoli, with seven, have recorded a higher figure.
Inter have shown a knack for striking at crucial moments: they are the team with the most goals scored in the opening 15 minutes of matches (seven) and in the final 15 minutes (nine).
CALHA AND NAPOLI
Hakan Calhanoglu has played eight games for Inter against Napoli in the league, scoring 4 goals, making the Partenopei his favourite opponents in the Nerazzurri shirt. The Turkish midfielder has found the net at San Siro in the 2021/22 and 2024/25 seasons, while his goals away to Napoli came at the Maradona in 2023/24 and in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
DIMARCO, AN EXTRA ATTACKER
No defender across Europe’s top five leagues has been involved in more goals this season than Federico Dimarco. The Inter wing-back has contributed eight goal involvements, three goals and five assists, the same tally as Bayer Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo.
Dimarco opened the scoring away at Parma with a right-footed finish, a rarity for him. Since returning to Inter in the summer of 2021, the No. 32 has been the highest-scoring defender in Serie A, with 18 goals, the same total as teammates Denzel Dumfries and Theo Hernandez.
In addition, only Genoa’s Aarón Martín (47) has created more chances for teammates this season than Dimarco and Nicolò Barella, who sit on 46 and 42 respectively.
THE OPPONENT: NAPOLI
Napoli head into the big clash against Inter sitting third in the table with 38 points, four behind the Nerazzurri having played the same number of matches (18). The Partenopei have recorded 12 wins and two draws so far. Antonio Conte’s side boast the third-best attack in Serie A with 28 goals (eleven fewer than Inter, one fewer than AC Milan) and the third-best defense, having conceded 15 goals, bettered only by Roma and Como on 12 and AC Milan on 14, while Inter have allowed 15.
Napoli arrive at San Siro following a comeback draw at home against Hellas Verona. Their recent league form reads three wins (against Juventus at the Maradona, and away wins over Cremonese and Lazio), one draw (against Hellas), and one defeat (away to Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium). At the end of December, Napoli lifted the Italian Super Cup in Riyadh, beating AC Milan in the semifinals and Bologna in the final, both matches ending 2-0. Their Champions League campaign has been more challenging, with seven points collected from the first six matchdays, though Napoli remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage. In the Coppa Italia, the Azzurri edged past Cagliari on penalties and will face the winner of Fiorentina vs Como in the quarterfinals.
Conte reshaped his Napoli side after the November international break, switching to a 3-4-3 formation. Since then, the Partenopei have picked up five wins from seven Serie A matches. Napoli’s top scorer this season is Danish forward Rasmus Højlund, who arrived in the summer from Manchester United: the 2003-born striker has scored nine goals in all competitions, six of them in the league.
LA 20ª GIORNATA DI SERIE A
Sabato 10 gennaio Como-Bologna 1-1 Udinese-Pisa 2-2 Roma-Sassuolo 2-0 Atalanta-Torino, ore 20:45
Domenica 11 gennaio Lecce-Parma, ore 12:30 Fiorentina-Milan, ore 15:00 Hellas Verona-Lazio, ore 18:00 INTER-Napoli, ore 20:45
Lunedì 12 gennaio Genoa-Cagliari, ore 18:30 Juventus-Cremonese, ore 20:45
DISCIPLINARY SITUATION
SUSPENDED Inter: - Napoli: - ONE BOOKING AWAY FROM SUSPENSION Inter: Calhanoglu Napoli: Juan Jesus
REFEREE
The referee for Inter vs Napoli, Matchday 20 of Serie A, will be Daniele Doveri from the Rome 1 section. Referee: Doveri Assistant Referees: Alassio, Colarossi Fourth Official: Colombo VAR: Di Bello Assistant VAR: Di Paolo
INTER VS. NAPOLI, WHERE TO WATCH
Inter vs Napoli, on Sunday 11 January at 20:45 CET, will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN. The match will be available via the DAZN app on smart TVs and in streaming on PC, smartphones, and tablets.
UPDATES ON INTER TV
As always, Inter TV will provide full coverage and live updates in the build-up to the match, with the latest news from San Siro. The Inter vs. Napoli Live Match show will be on air from 19:30 CET, also available on the Club’s official YouTube channel until 20:35 CET. In-depth analysis, reactions, and interviews will follow.