Napoli v Inter: Osimhen has opportunity for revenge against enemy Skriniar who broke his face

Napoli will take on Inter Milan on Saturday 12, February at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in what is a top of the table clash.

The intrigue in this one goes beyond Inter and Napoli being separated by one point at the summit of the Serie A table, Victor Osimhen’s involvement provides an even juicier storyline.

The Nigerian striker got injured in the reverse fixture of this game at the San Siro in November 2021 after a nasty clash of heads with Inter defender, Milan Skriniar.

Osimhen went on to miss two months of football, including the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, with eye and facial fractures. The Super Eagles centre-forward only just returned to active football and has made three appearances but only one start.

It is poetic that his second start since that nasty injury will most likely come against the same team and player that injured him in the first place.

Skriniar has started and played the full 90 minutes in all but two Serie A games for Inter this season, so he is pretty much a guaranteed starter. This means Osimhen vs Skriniar II is well and truly underway.

This scenario presents an opportunity for Victor Osimhen to enact his revenge, not by aiming to injure Skriniar, but by putting up a superb performance.

A good display would also go a long way in boosting Osimhen’s confidence following his goal last weekend against Venezia in what was his first start post-injury. 

Another reason the 23-year old needs a big performance in this one is to dispel the growing reputation that he does not perform in the big matches.

Since joining Napoli in 2020, Osimhen has played 11 Serie A games for Napoli against the rest of the traditional big seven in Italian football. In all those games against Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma, Lazio and Atalanta, Osimhen has only scored one goal.

Victor Osimhen has scored 16 Serie A goals in 38 games for Napoli, which means he has scored 15 goals in 27 games against the teams outside the top seven.

There is no denying that he has so far failed to step up when the occasion is grandest but Osimhen has an opportunity to correct that with a vintage display against Inter on Saturday.

For extra flavour, Inter are on a five-match unbeaten run against Napoli, a run that the Neapolitans are desperate to end and Osimhen would be an instant cult hero if he plays a major role in doing so.

Napoli last defeated Inter Milan in a Coppa Italia game on February 12 2020, exactly two years to the day of the latest instalment of this encounter which will happen this Saturday.