Juventus and AC Milan will usher Italian football back on Friday night with their Coppa Italia second leg semifinal match. Twenty-four hours later, Napoli will host Inter Milan in their second leg semifinal fixture with the home side one step away from the final.
The first leg at the San Siro was short on goalscoring chances as both sides had difficulty breaking down the other. The first leg of the semifinal was settled by Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz in the 57th minute as they won 1-0.
The Partenopei have one foot in the final but Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan will fancy their chances after a three-month layoff. Due to the hiatus the teams experienced; anything can happen on Saturday night in Naples.
Neither team will be in form when the match kicks off and Inter Milan can certainly overturn the tie. If Inter Milan win the fixture 1-0, the tie will be level on aggregate and due to the number of fixtures left to play this campaign, the semifinal will go straight to penalties rather than extra-time.
The Coppa Italia final will take place one week after Saturday’s semifinal at the Stadio San Paolo. If Inter Milan want to be in the final, they must overcome a 1-0 deficit.
This season has been a rocky one for Napoli. Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in December with Gennaro Gattuso taking over for him. Results took time to improve but consistency has been difficult to find.
The Partenopei did win three straight Serie A games prior to the Covid-19 break moving up to sixth place. Despite Napoli’s improved league form and solid cup play, it is unlikely they will qualify for the Champions League.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, challenged Juventus for the title for the first half of the season but really fell off in February allowing Lazio to be the only real contender to the Bianconeri’s crown. The Nerazzurri are nine points back in the league and lost two straight games in the league before the hiatus.
Napoli are unbeaten in six of their last eight games versus Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri did go to the San Paolo earlier this season and claim a 3-1 win.
Sabato 👉 #NapoliInter 🤩💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/xkJZbtYIrP— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) June 11, 2020
Sabato 👉 #NapoliInter 🤩💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/xkJZbtYIrP
The first leg of the semifinal was close and Saturday’s second leg should be very similar with very little separating these teams. Expect Napoli and Inter Milan to finish in a stalemate with under 2.5 goals scored. The result will send Napoli through to the final.