The China Mail - Inter roll into Milan derby with leaders Napoli in their sights

Fresh from sealing direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League by thumping Monaco on Wednesday night, Inter can fully turn their attentions to domestic affairs as they trail Napoli by three points heading into possibly the world's most prestigious club derby.

Simone Inzaghi's side are on an unbeaten run of seven wins in eight Serie A matches and have key players Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi nearing their returns from injury.

Last weekend's thumping 4-0 win at Lecce was their eighth in a row away from home in Serie A, and they haven't even conceded a goal on the road in Italy's top flight since their first win in that run, at Udinese in late September.

That augers well for the derby which is, technically, an away fixture with Milan fans being given the majority of tickets at what will be a raucous San Siro.

Also working in Inter's favour is the hot form of captain and star striker Lautaro Martinez, whose hat-trick against Monaco took him to nine goals in as many matches in all competitions.

The 27-year-old looks to have finally overcome a long goal-shy period in the wake of Argentina's triumph at the Copa America, and at the perfect time for Inter.

Milan meanwhile are having a more turbulent time of it, with public bust-ups between players and new coach Sergio Conceicao and inconsistent performances all taking place in front of loud supporter dissent towards the club's owners, American investment fund Redbird.

Since winning the league title in 2022 Milan have been left in the dust by Inter, who as well as becoming Italian champions have established themselves as one of Europe's top teams.

Frustration at being left behind -- Milan are seventh, a whopping 19 points behind Napoli -- has festered in the stands with matches marked by frequents chants against RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale.

Their mood was only worsened by the manner in which Milan threw away a top-eight spot in the Champions League, falling to a dismal 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.

Lurking in the background are third-placed Atalanta, who host Torino on Saturday ready to pounce on Inter or Napoli dropping points on the road after drawing 2-2 at Barcelona and just missing out on a spot in the Champions League's top eight.

Gian Piero Gasperini will again have to do without Ademola Lookman who sat out an excellent display in Catalonia with a knee injury which will keep him out of action for around three weeks.

Player to watch: Romelu Lukaku

Belgium striker Lukaku has been reinvigorated since rejoining Antonio Conte at Napoli, popping up with key goals and becoming just as crucial as a link man up top for his teammates.

The 31-year-old returns to Roma on Sunday night off the back of match-winning goals at Atalanta and Juventus which maintained Napoli's place at the top of the pile and he will have a physical battle on his hands against former teammates Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka.

Lukaku has scored nine times in Serie A for Napoli and set up six more, seven if you count Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo's own goal earlier this month.

Key stats

16 - The points gap separating Inter from Milan.

7 - Napoli are top of the league thanks to a seven-match winning run.

8 - The number of fixtures Inter have won on the bounce away from home in Serie A.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Parma v Lecce (1945)

Saturday

Monza v Verona, Udinese v Venezia (1400), Atalanta v Torino (1700), Bologna v Como (1945)

Sunday

Juventus v Empoli (1130), Fiorentina v Genoa (1400), AC Milan v Inter Milan (1800), Roma v Napoli (1945)

Monday

Cagliari v Lazio (1945)

Z.Huang--ThChM