Now that Inter have finally reached the summit of the Serie A table, the conditions are there to keep hold of their place and even start to put distance between themselves and their rivals.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, who highlight the favourable calendar for the Nerazzurri just before and after the winter break.
After demolishing Cagliari on Sunday to finally overtake AC Milan at the top of the table, the Nerazzurri’s next fixture will be away to Salernitana.
No away fixture in Serie A is ever easy, but when in Salerno Inter will face the team with the worst defense in the Italian top flight, as the team with the best attack.
Barring a big upset, the Nerazzurri are fairly likely to extend their winning run in Serie A to six matches since the return from the November international break.
Later in the weekend, AC Milan and Napoli will go head to head, meaning that at least one of Inter’s top four rivals is guaranteed to drop points, and a further edge can be found at the top.
The Nerazzurri’s last game is a tough but very winnable fixture against Torino at the San Siro in which the Nerazzurri will hope to continue their imposing home record.
If Inter can win these two matches then they will be guaranteed to remain at the top of the table for Christmas, and looking beyond this, January will also be an important month for them.
Napoli will be without the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Andre Frank Zambo-Anguissa, and Victor Osimhen during the African Cup of Nations, whilst AC Milan will miss midfielders Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie.
The Nerazzurri by contrast will not lose any squad members for the tournament and can seriously look at the month as one in which those two rivals are likely to have at least struggles.
None of this takes Atalanta into consideration, who have been in equally good form to the Nerazzurri in recent weeks, but if Inter can keep winning then they will at least be three points ahead of La Dei when they meet in January.
