Inter Milan face Serie A champions Napoli in a mouth-watering contest on Saturday
Inter are currently second in Serie A, above Napoli on goal difference
Conte's side won't without Rasmus Hojlund due to a muscle injury
Cristian Chivu believes form will go out of the window, with Inter facing a "hard-fought game" against reigning Serie A champions Napoli.
Inter are currently second in Serie A, above Napoli on goal difference, with the Nerazzurri on a seven-match winning streak in all competitions, thanks to a 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Chivu's side could be four points off the pace of rivals AC Milan by kick-off on Saturday, with the Serie A table looking very tight at the top.
Napoli, meanwhile, come into this match on the back of two successive defeats, having lost 1-0 to Torino last weekend before suffering a thumping 6-2 loss to PSV in Europe.
But those results have only made Chivu more wary of the threat his team will face at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
"What's already happened has little to do with it," Chivu said in his press conference.
"We're playing against the Italian champions, and their ambitions are still very high. It will be a hard-fought game, and everyone wants to bring home the result."
Asked if this game could define Inter's season, Chivu added: "This is an important game and we can't deny the evidence.
"But it's too early to say. There are lots of teams who have already lost twice. Whatever is true for one team is also true for the others.
"We need to understand the importance of the match. We have to have the right conviction and the right passion. The game will not be easy in terms of atmosphere either; we have to be ready mentally."
Unlike his counterpart, Antonio Conte did not face the press ahead of Saturday's match, though reports emerged that they could be without two key players.
Napoli have confirmed that Alex Meret will not be in between the sticks as he has suffered a fracture in his foot during Friday's training session.
And Conte's side are also set to be without Rasmus Hojlund as well due to a muscle injury. The on-loan Manchester United striker is Napoli's highest scorer this season, having netted four goals in six appearances across all competitions.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Napoli – Matteo Politano
Matteo Politano, who played 47 games for Inter in Serie A and scored five goals, has scored three goals against the Nerazzurri, only netting more against Milan (six), Genoa (five), and Fiorentina (four).
However, the Napoli winger has not scored in his last 15 league games, last having a longer run since a spell of 18 matches between October 2022 and May 2023.
Inter – Ange-Yoan Bonny
With two goals and three assists, Ange-Yoan Bonny has been involved in each of Inter's last five Serie A goals.
The last Nerazzurri player to be involved in at least that many consecutive league goals for the team was Romelu Lukaku between March and April 2023 (seven, three goals and four assists).
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
These two were in a tight battle throughout last season, and the supercomputer expects the same at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this weekend, given Napoli and Inter have drawn their last three Serie A matches (all 1-1).
That is the same amount of draws as they managed across the previous 12 meetings beforehand (two Napoli wins, seven for Inter). However, the sides have never shared the spoils in four consecutive matches in the competition.
Napoli have won 38 Serie A home matches against Inter (D22 L19), at least three more than they have against any other opponent in the top-flight.
The Partenopei have lost two of their last three league games, though (W1), as many as in their previous 31 (W20 D9). Should they lose on Saturday, it would be the first time since 2009-10 that they lost three of their first eight Serie A matches in a campaign (four).
Inter, meanwhile, have won their last four games after losing two Serie A matches against Udinese and Juventus in August and September.
And Inter are a force to be reckoned with on the road – since the start of last season, they have kept 12 clean sheets away from home, including four in their last five such games – no team in Europe's big five leagues has more in the same period.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Napoli – 32.2%
Draw – 28.4%
Inter – 39.4%
