After crashing out of Champions League last week and trailing league leaders and cross stadium rivals AC Milan by 3 points, many were hyping yesterday’s Inter match versus Napoli as a true test of whether Antonio Conte’s squad will be legitimate title contenders. The pressure was on for the squad and it was up to them to deliver.

The match was incredibly ugly and until the awarded penalty it looked like the match was destined to end in a draw. But behind Romelu Lukaku’s converted penalty, Inter were able to dig in and grind out a win. For some it may not have been the most enjoyable to watch and many would have wanted Inter to simply dominate. But as nice as that would have been, it’s also nice to see the squad able to grind out a hard earned victory.

Now trailing AC Milan by only a point now, Conte and the squad will look to finish out the 2020 calendar year strong and, hopefully, at the top of the table.

Upcoming Matches:

Inter vs Spezia, Sunday December 20th, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, kickoff 15:00 CET

Hellas Verona vs Inter, Wednesday December 23rd, Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, kickoff 18:30 CET

First Team Fitness:

Achraf Hakimi: The summer’s star signing has been one of the most crucial pieces to the club’s successes. Last weekend he picked up a calf injury in a substitute appearance against Cagliari.

Turns out the injury was relatively minor. While he didn’t start against Napoli, he was able to make a substitute appearance and play 23 minutes. He did not seem to aggravate the injury and should be available for the next week of fixtures.

Marcelo Brozovic: The club’s regista suffered a left foot/ankle injury and was forced to come off in the 67th minute against Napoli.

As it stands there hasn’t been any information from the club, however we do know that the blow to area has caused some bruising.

He is set to undergo further tests today to understand the extent of the injury but he remains in doubt for this weekend’s fixture against newly promoted Spezia, per Gazzetta dello Sport.

Pending the results of the test, his availability for the Hellas Verona match is also in question. We will continue to update as we learn more information in the coming days.

Arturo Vidal: The Chilean midfielder continues to struggle for fitness over the past few weeks after suffering a thigh strain against Bologna.

He was forced to miss the match against Napoli, however various media outlets across Italy have reported he’s working his hardest to be available to play Spezia.

While the club haven’t provided any official updates, Conte has gone on to mention that playing Vidal would be a risk that could entail losing him for another additional month.

With Spezia being so low on the table and Conte wanting to keep him healthy, there’s a chance we see him as an unused substitute against Spezia if he’s available for selection.

Alexis Sanchez: The Chilean international suffered an adductor muscle strain against Cagliari last week. Aside from the basic information on the injury, the club has been relatively quiet about his health.

However reports from Corriere dello Sport yesterday suggest Sanchez will miss the remainder of the calendar year. If the report is accurate, the next time we can ostensibly see him back on the pitch will be in the January 3rd match against Crotone.