

After defeating struggling Empoli 3-1 on Sunday, Inter Milan remained in contact with Napoli, trailing the Serie A leaders by three points. Denzel Dumfries, Marcus Thuram, and Lautaro Martinez all scored goals in the second half to give champions Inter a hard-fought victory at the San Siro. Inter still has a game in hand, but Napoli's exciting 3-2 victory against Atalanta, who are seven points behind in third place, on Saturday made them the side to beat. However, Napoli has no European football following their terrible championship defence last season, whereas Inter has a full schedule because of their Champions League obligations.
Simone Inzaghi's club has the Milan derby plus visits to Juventus, Napoli, and Atalanta between now and mid-March in addition to their last two Champions League league phase games, which are against Sparta Prague and Monaco in back-to-back weeks.