Three things to watch in Serie A showdown between Napoli and Inter

Serie A's main course this weekend sees the first meeting of the season of last season's top two as Napoli entertain Inter on Saturday evening. 

They are two sides in contrasting form, as the league enters matchweek eight of the season with them both in a top five that is separated by just five points. 

The champions come into the game off the back of a humiliating 6-2 defeat in the Champions League to PSV, and have been beaten in the league in two of their last three games. Although they have yet to drop a point at home so far in 2025-26.

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Antonio Conte has suggested his side's troubles have come from making too many additions in the summer, and the team needs time to find the right balance to compete domestically and in Europe. 

Inter, on the other hand, are flying. They are only a point off the top of the table and one of the most in-form teams in Europe, having won seven games in a row in all competitions - five of those without conceding a goal. 

As the two prepare to do battle, DAZN News looks at three key areas that could decide the game. 

Inter's in-form attack 

One of the key factors in Inter's recent good run has been the exploits of their attacking players and how they are spreading the goals around. 

Latauro Martinez remains the talisman and the team's winning streak coincided with his return to the side after a small knock in the early weeks. The Argentine already has six goals in nine games this season, but he's also been backed up by a cast that's just as effective. 

Marcus Thuram has five in seven and many thought his injury would cause Christian Chivu's problems, but the back-up pairing have also had a massive impact. 

Ange-Yoan Bonny has five goal contributions in his last two games, while Francesco Pio Esposito has netted twice in his first season amongst the first-team squad. 

It means that any combination is proving fruitful and dangerous, a nightmare for the opposition to stop. 

Napoli's need to dictate midfield Getty

It's clear to see Napoli are leaking more goals than last season, but as Conte has suggested already, it looks like it's the balance in midfield he's still trying to perfect. 

Kevin De Bruyne's arrival has obviously been a massive boost, and has already linked up well with Rasmus Hojlund in attack, but Napoli are still finding the best way to accommodate the Belgian into their championship-winning midfield alongside Frank Anguissa and last year's Player of the Season Scott McTominay. 

Conte has switched from the 4-3-3 that worked so well last season to more of a 4-1-4-1, often having to move McTominay to the left-hand side and lessening his impact on the team. While it worked to begin with, since the injury to Lobotka, the midfield hasn't functioned as well in that system. 

It's an area where the game could see a real battle, because in Nicolo Barella, they have someone who can dictate the game if he sees a weakness in the opposition midfield. While either side, whether it be Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Petar Sucic, they seem to complement each other as a unit. 

The midfield margins are fine between the pair, but they could make all the difference. 

Timothy Rogers/Getty Images

The importance of a focal point 

One of the glaringly obvious issues over Napoli's last two outings, which have ended in defeat, has been the lack of an out-and-out goalscorer in attack. 

Rasmus Hojlund has continued the post-Manchester United trend of refinding his best form since leaving Old Trafford and his absence has been felt in Conte's side. 

Lorenzo Lucca has struggled to fill that role and Romelu Lukaku is still weeks off being ready to return following his layoff. 

It's touch and go whether Hojlund is fit enough to return against on Saturday, but given Inter's penchant for clean sheets at the moment, the need for someone who can make the most of any narrow openings is for all to see. 

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How to watch Serie A on DAZN? 

DAZN brings fans closer to the action with live coverage of all 10 matches per round, delivering world-class Italian football to more fans in more ways in the  United Kingdom and Ireland, Canada, and the U.S (Spanish-language only).

You can watch Serie A games via the DAZN App, available on smart TV's, phones, tablets, streaming devices, games consoles and web browsers.

If you do not have the App already then just follow these instructions....

• Download the free DAZN App from your normal App store on your TV, phone, tablet, or streaming device
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• Select 'Get started' or 'log in'
• Enter your email address, or sign up via the Apple, Google or Facebook options
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• Then find our Serie A page and click 'buy now'