Manna: ‘Inter vs. Napoli an important crossroads for the title race’

Napoli director Giovanni Manna believes tonight’s clash with Inter can be ‘an important crossroads’ for the Scudetto race. ‘If there’s an opportunity to improve the squad, we’ll do it.’

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The Partenopei fell further behind the leaders after a midweek 2-2 draw with Hellas Verona, although they did well to claw it back from 2-0 down.

Napoli beat Inter 3-1 back in October, and it looks as if it will again be between these two teams for the Scudetto, as Milan were held to draws by Genoa and Fiorentina this week.

“These are two great teams, it was a battle to the end last season, we hope to do it again this year. They are in great shape, we’re playing in an incredible stadium, so it’s tough,” Manna told DAZN Italia.

“It is never a sign of weakness to respect your opponents, and Inter are at a very high level. We’re coming off a positive period too, we have problems everyone knows, but it can be an important crossroads for the campaign.

“Milan were held today, so we must play an intelligent game and play the right way with determination and guts.”

David Neres did not recover in time from a sprained ankle, joining Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku on the absentee list.

With the transfer window open, are Napoli planning any new signings, especially if Noa Lang or Lorenzo Lucca leave?

“At this moment, the team is well-drilled, so it is always tricky to mess with the balance of things. If there is an opportunity to improve the squad, then we will do it. We are working on it, there are still 21 days to go, January is always tough because we’re playing regularly,” concluded Manna.

A January signing proved decisive last season, as Phillip Billing scored in this fixture for a late Napoli 1-1 draw that ultimately proved crucial.