Inter vs Napoli: Chivu’s perfect start faces first major test against Allegri’s side

Inter’s perfect start to the Serie A season faces its first major examination on Saturday as Napoli arrive at San Siro looking for an immediate response to their first setback under Massimiliano Allegri.

Cristian Chivu’s defending champions have taken six points from their opening two matches against Monza and Cagliari, extending an unbeaten league run that now stretches to 12 games across the end of last season and the beginning of this one. Inter have not started a Serie A campaign with three consecutive victories since 2023-24.

The early numbers suggest this is more than a perfect start built on results alone. Inter have been the division’s most assertive team with the ball.

Chivu’s side lead Serie A for average possession at 68 per cent, passes per match, total attempts and shots from inside the penalty area after two rounds. They have also produced more long open-play sequences ending in a shot or touch inside the opposition box than any other team — with Napoli ranking second in that category.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu has provided the clearest individual expression of that authority. The midfielder has scored in both league games, each time from outside the penalty area and inside the opening 10 minutes. He has also scored five Serie A goals for Inter against Napoli, including in each of the last two meetings between the clubs at San Siro.

Napoli’s opening fortnight has been less straightforward.

Allegri began his tenure with a 2-0 victory away to Genoa, where substitutes Kevin De Bruyne and Antonio Vergara scored in the final eight minutes. But Napoli were beaten 2-1 by Como at the Maradona a week later despite Rasmus Højlund equalising during the first half and a late Stanislav Lobotka goal being disallowed for offside. Allegri afterwards admitted his side had failed to manage the different phases of the game effectively.

That makes San Siro a revealing test: Inter want confirmation that their early control can survive elite opposition; Napoli need to show that the Como defeat was a correction rather than the beginning of inconsistency.

Recent history suggests neither side should expect separation to come easily. Napoli are unbeaten in the last five Serie A meetings between the clubs, while the last three at San Siro have all ended in draws. Inter, however, have not lost a home league match against Napoli in nine attempts.

There is also a broader significance. Inter and Napoli have divided the last four Serie A titles equally between them, making Saturday’s first heavyweight fixture an unusually early reference point for two clubs expecting to remain in the championship conversation.

For Chivu, three wins from three would turn an excellent start into a statement. For Allegri, taking something from the Meazza would be the strongest possible response to the first defeat of his Napoli tenure.

Matchday three is far too early to shape a title race — but Inter against Napoli is exactly the kind of game that can reveal who is already ready for one.