Player fatigue and squad rotation in the Champions League could play a big role in tomorrow’s Serie A match between Napoli and Inter Milan.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, argue that the European factor could favour the Nerazzurri.
Both Inter and Napoli are now right in the thick of an intensely demanding fixture list.
Whilst Juventus are able to rest up during the week given the absence of European football, for the Nerazzurri and the Partenopei as well as AC Milan there is a need to juggle two games a week.
Therefore, player fatigue from playing every few days can become a factor.
And there is every chance that that will be the case tomorrow.
Napoli host Inter in a league match with major potential title implications.
But as the Gazzetta highlight, the Champions League has not necessarily affected the two teams in equal ways.
How Champions League Factor Could Affect Napoli & Inter
For Inter, there was an opportunity to rotate extensively in their European match.
The Nerazzurri faced Benfica away in a match where they did not need a result to reach the round of sixteen. Inter already qualified for the knockouts.
Therefore, many players from the fringe of Inter’s squad got the nod in a wild 3-3 draw.
And conversely, numerous key starters rested from the first minute.
This naturally entails that Inter have not theoretically suffered as much in terms of player fatigue as they would have in the event that they played a full-strength team in Lisbon.
For Napoli, it was a different situation, though.
The Partneopei have yet to clinch their spot in the round of sixteen of Europe’s top club competition.
Therefore, coach Walter Mazzarri played something close to his strongest eleven against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
This could mean that Inter will be the fresher of the two sides tomorrow.
