Koulibaly has earned himself a late yellow card after a full-blooded challenge on Eder which broke up an Inter counter-attack.
89'
At this late stage it looks like both sides are happy with a point, as play has been reduced to a kick-about in midfield. Neither side wants to be caught out of position which could result in conceding from the counter, and both managers seem to agree that a point would be mutually beneficial.
87'
Éder enters the game and replaces M. Icardi.
Spalletti’s final change involves taking off the captain – Mauro Icardi – with Eder playing in his place.
85'
STAT: In their three home matches this season in the Serie A, Napoli have averaged 4 goals per game.
83'
João Cancelo enters the game and replaces A. Candreva.
Spalletti has reacted to Napoli’s third change with a slightly defensive substitution. Joao Cancelo has taken off Antonio Candreva.
80'
A. Ounas enters the game and replaces L. Insigne.
Lorenzo Insigne will be taken out for Adam Ounas in Napoli’s third and final change.
77'
Joao Mario’s long-range effort was struck well but Reina was able to just watch it roll out of play, wide of the target. It seems as though both sides have run out of creativity and are striking whenever they get a half-sight of goal.
76'
Napoli's second substitution is their second in midfield, with Marko Rog replacing Allan.
75'
M. Rog enters the game and replaces Allan.
A GREAT CHANCE FOR INSIGNE! After Mertens lost possession of the ball, Insigne collected and tried a spectacular curler from outside the area which flew just wide of Handanovic’s left post. He’s scored opportunities like that before – but not on this occasion.
73'
Joao Mario’s first contribution of the evening is a corner-kick. The effort was wasted however, as the ball flew right to the penalty spot where Reina rose highest to claim it.
Minute
Description
72'
P. Zieliński enters the game and replaces M. Hamšík.
Maurizio Sarri, also making his first substitution of the game, will bring on Piotr Zielinksi to replace the captain Marek Hamsik.
71'
João Mário enters the game and replaces Borja Valero.
Luciano Spalletti’s first substitution of the evening is attacking, as Joao Mario will be brought on to replace Borja Valero.
69'
Skriniar, after receiving the ball from a free-kick tried a cross-pitch pass to Perisic but the Croatian was unable to bring the ball down and control it. That was a cheap turnover by Inter who need to take better care of the ball whenever they have it in their possession – as they don’t see it very often.
66'
Miranda gets yellow.
The first yellow card of the day goes to Miranda who stepped into Mertens after the Belgian had passed the ball away.
64'
Dries Mertens went on a slippery run which took on two Inter defenders. Miranda finally poked the ball away from the Belgian attacker and the resulting corner ended with a Nagatomo clearing header. All square still at the San Paolo with twenty-five minutes left to play.
61'
Insigne’s misplaced pass in the attacking third brought another Napoli attack to a screeching halt, and the Inter counter-attack ended with a corner-kick which was hit by Candreva and fell to Nagatomo, but the left-back’s shot was poor and Reina easily made the stop.
58'
A good spell of interplay between Vecino and his nearest teammates ends with the ball on the right-wing at the feet of Candreva, whose low driving shot failed to trouble Reina at all.
57'
Hamsik sends it just wide! After a great ball by Jorginho and a headed knock-down, the Napoli captain skewed his outside-the-box volley just past Handanovic’s right post! Napoli are getting closer and closer to a goal after a sluggish start.
55'
Despite the worrying scenes prior to half time, Callejon has been deemed fit enough to continue in the contest, but he does not seem to be running naturally. He is carrying a slight limp which could influence Sarri’s substitutions as the game progresses.
52'
A disappointing delivery by the Napoli number 8 as the ball goes directly to Handanovic who collects under no pressure whatsoever. Another set-piece wasted by Napoli who have looked a bit slower in the second period.
51'
Candreva has given away a free-kick in a dangerous position halfway between midfield and the Inter penalty area. Jorginho stands over it and will look to cross it into a tall centre-back.
50'
Borja Valero’s free-kick was perfectly telegraphed to the back post, but before Skriniar could get something onto the ball, the referee blew the play dead for a foul. Respite for Napoli who have been put under considerably more pressure since the restart.
48'
CLOSE FROM INTER! Vecino ran the length of the pitch with the ball and played a one-two pass with Icardi. Upon receiving the ball again, the Inter midfielder dragged Reina out of position and shot at the empty goal, only to be denied by a goal-line header by Hysaj which Reina collected gratefully. A good start to the second half by Inter!
46'
The teams are back on the pitch and Inter are ready to get the second half started!
45'
Napoli’s last attack of the half fizzed out after the ball was played out by Nagatomo after noticing a muscular problem with Callejon who has just arisen after staying down on the turf. After limping around for a minute the former Real Madrid attacker has once again gone to ground and is receiving treatment. His second-half involvement now seems in doubt as the referee blows time on the first 45.
42'
FANTASTIC FROM REINA! Icardi headed a ball through for Borja Valero who was kept onside by Koulibaly. The Spanish creative midfielder had to wait a second for the ball to drop to a reasonable height at which time he took a cracking half-volley. The ball was always rising and Reina did exceptionally well to punch the ball over his crossbar. Signs of attacking life from Inter after 40 minutes of not troubling the Napoli shot-stopper.
40'
Icardi has just taken Inter’s first shot on target, an off-balance strike from the right-hand side of the penalty area. The ball was shot directly at Reina who took the pace off the ball with his hands before grabbing it and starting Napoli on another marauding attack.
38'
Every attacking play at the minute seems to come from the home side, who have restricted Inter to a number of passes in their own half, and only seconds of possession in Napoli’s area. Another wave of Neapolitan forward play ends when Koulibaly of all people try a strike at goal from the left-wing. The ball bent the other way and went out for a throw-in – possibly displaying why Koulibaly is not employed as a striker
35'
A fantastic ball to the back post from Hamsik met the head of Lorenzo Insigne. The diminutive striker took the chance very well but Handanovic was in the perfect position to parry, and then catch the ball. Had that gone in, it would have been an extremely rare headed goal for Insigne who only stands 5 feet 4 inches.
33'
Lorenzo Insigne tried his luck at dribbling past three Inter defenders but failed to get the ball by the final man. His direct play has been very good in the first half, and has seemingly been Napoli’s most dangerous attacking player, but it will take slightly more invention than a straight-forward run into the penalty area to score on Inter’s very organized defensive unit.
30'
Ghoulam’s out-swinging corner came all the way out of the area to Jorginho who hit a very poor half-volley which flew over the crossbar. His body shape was all wrong as the ball was much too high off the ground to hit in that manner.
28'
Hamsik found himself with the ball in a good area but his low centring cross was blocked well by an Inter player and put out for a throw deep in their own half which Napoli use to recycle it back to the defence.
25'
Inter seem unable to keep possession at the moment, with any touch resulting in the ball going back to the home side. If Inter are to win today, they will have to defend well and break at pace, catching the forward-thinking Napoli midfield out of sorts. It doesn’t look at the moment like Inter will be able to create anything after prolonged build-up – Napoli will not allow them the time.
22'
STAT: Napoli have won 11 of the 14 matches they’ve played against Inter in Naples.
20'
SAMIR HANDANOVIC HEROICS KEEPS THE GAME AT 0-0! Elseid Hysaj played a fantastic ball through to Mertens whose initial strike from close range was parried brilliantly by Handanovic. The follow-up was struck from even closer but it appears as though the Inter goalie made the save with the bottom of his foot – incredible positioning from the former Udinese keeper!
18'
The corner amounts to nothing as Raul Albiol was caught holding Gagliardini as he went up for the header. Free-kick for Inter just inside their own penalty area.
17'
Penalty shouts for Napoli after Insigne played the ball over the top to Mertens who was pushed off the ball by the much stronger Miranda. The referee was having none of it, but has awarded a corner as he deemed the last touch of the ball to have come from the Brazilian centre-back.
15'
It has been a very ponderous opening 15 minutes, with each side getting a feel for the match and passing the ball about in their own defensive area in order to beat the initial press. Both Napoli and Inter are doing excellent in that regard, with each side’s centre-backs very capable and willing when in possession.
13'
The ball was floated to the back-post where Koulibaly was waiting but his assisting header was met by several Inter defenders and effectively cleared before it could trouble Handanovic.
12'
Miranda has committed a foul on Callejon after a lunging tackle from behind. Allan and Jorginho stand over the free-kick which is in a central position but too far out of shooting range.
11'
Candreva had the ball on the right flank and his mazy run allowed him to slip past Marek Hamsik who was marking him. The wide attacker chipped a ball into the box but once again Koulibaly was there to clear any danger. A good opportunity for Inter there who have found some space to attack in the early stages of this match.
9'
Borja Valero seemed to run the length of the pitch but his final ball through to Icardi was blocked at the last minute by Koulibaly. Napoli were caught with too many men high up the pitch, which could be a theme today as the home side attack with such conviction. The counter-attack could be Inter’s best chance to score today.
7'
Ghoulam overlapped Insigne’s run very well but his ball into the box was not met by a player in friendly colours. An opportunity wasted but Callejon showed great industry to keep the ball in play and retain possession.
5'
Insigne has teed up Hamsik just outside the Inter penalty area but the captain’s strike drifted well wide of Handanovic’s left-hand post. A decent first effort for Napoli.
3'
Napoli have started in their typical fashion – passing the ball around neatly in possession trying to beat the press, while defending high up the pitch when Inter control the play. Sarri is relentless in his philosophy, one which Pep Guardiola praised highly before Napoli’s Champions League meeting with Manchester City this past week.
1'
Napoli get us underway attacking from right to left in this first half!
It has been a dream start for Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli. A perfect run of eight wins in eight Serie A matches leaves the Neapolitans in top spot, two points off second place. A midweek loss to Manchester City in the Champions League followed what was a fantastic result last weekend away to fifth place Roma. The league leaders have scored the most goals, conceded the fewest and have recorded two domestic clean sheets on the bounce. It has been a tremendous beginning to the 2017-2018 season, but today’s opponents would be a stern test for any team with title aspirations.
Last time out for the visitors saw Mauro Icardi score a delightful treble to lead Inter past rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. Those three points propelled the Nerazzuri into second place in the table, three points ahead of incumbent champions Juventus. While Inter have scored less than any other side in the top 4, the combination of Icardi and Ivan Perisic has been absolutely lethal, with the two forwards combining for 12 of their 17 goals scored. Inter’s defence is tied for best in the nation – along with Napoli – having only conceded five goals in eight matches played.
A win for Inter today would see them go top of the table, leap-frogging their opponents by a single point. Inter are on a Serie A unbeaten run stretching 10 games including results last season, while their hosts have not been beaten by an Italian opponent since February 2017, a 2-0 loss to Atalanta. Victory for Napoli would mean a five-point cushion at the top, which would be precious insurance with nearly a quarter of the season gone.
With fifteen minutes before kick-off, the team news has been announced! Let's start with the home side:
Napoli Starting XI (4-3-3): Pepe Reina, Elseid Hysaj, Raul Albiol, Kalidou Koulibaly, Faouzi Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Marek Hamsik; Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne.
Napoli substitutes: Rafael Cabral, Luigi Sepe, Vlad Chiriches, , Nikola Maksimovic, Christian Maggio, Mario Rui, Amadou Diawara, Marko Rog, Piotr Zielinski, Emmanuele Giaccherini, Adam Ounas.
Inter starting XI (4-2-3-1): Samir Handanovic; Danilo D’Ambrosio, Milan Skriniar, Miranda, Yuto Nagatomo; Matias Vecino, Roberto Gagliardini; Antonio Candreva, Borja Valero, Ivan Perisic; Mauro Icardi.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of the Serie A match between Napoli and Inter from the Stadio San Paolo!
Inter substitutes: Daniele Padelli, Tommaso Berni, Joao Cancelo, Joao Mario, Andrea Ranocchia, Yann Karamoh, Davide Santon, Eder, Dalbert, Andrea Pinamonti.
Luciano Spalletti has named an unchanged side from the 11 that claimed victory over fierce rivals Milan last Sunday. His 4-2-3-1 formation will feature a centre-back pairing of Miranda and summer signing Milan Skriniar. Gagliardini pairs Vecino in midfield and the two will sit just behind the regular attacking quartet of Antonio Candreva, Borja Valero, Ivan Perisic and captain Mauro Icardi.
Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri’s line-up will be the exact same as that which beat Roma 1-0 a week ago. Hysaj and Ghoulam will play the fullback positions opposite side of centre-backs Raul Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly. Allan, Jorginho and Marek Hamsik line up in midfield and Italy’s most prolific front-three are all accounted for – as Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne make up the remaining spots.
HALF-TIME: Napoli 0-0 Inter.
It has been a lacklustre affair so far between Italy’s two best defensive sides. A Dries Mertens double-shot which Handanovic dealt with well was Napoli’s best opportunity to get on the score sheet, while a Borja Valero effort three minutes from half-time was one of Inter’s two shots on target in the first forty-five minutes.
Both managers will go into the interval relatively happy with parity – a score line which would see both teams maintain their first and second place spots in the table at the end of today. Maurizio Sarri’s side has shown attacking impetus and dominated ball possession statistics, but they have been missing the key pass necessary to break the deadlock.
Inter can be pleased with the fact that despite only registering their first shot on target 40 minutes into the contest, they are level-pegging at half-time. They have shown great defensive resilience to break down the lethal Napoli attack, but will have to display more going forward if they wish to jump Napoli in the standings – which is possible with a victory.
FULL-TIME: Napoli 0-0 Inter.
The day ends as it began for these two sides, with defences triumphing over attacking potency. Both managers should be pleased with their teams’ efforts in what turned out to be a relatively cagey affair. Italy’s two lowest conceding teams refused to be beaten, and all things considered, a 0-0 result is beneficial to both sides.
Thank you for following along and we hope you enjoyed our live-text commentary of Napoli vs Inter. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
Next up for both of these sides are opponents who hail from the same city. Napoli travel to Genoa to face the eponymously titled club, while Inter go back home to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, where they will face Sampdoria; a side fresh off of a 5-0 victory over Crotone.
A number of half-chances were the closest Inter and Napoli came, but the two goalkeepers were on top form and refused to be beat. The result sees Napoli remain on top of the Serie A, two points ahead of second place Inter, who move to +4 over Juventus, having played a game more. Both unbeaten runs continue, but Napoli have failed to win for the first time this season in domestic play.
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