Inzaghi and Spalletti gear up for big clash as Inter look to halt Napoli momentum
Napoli set a club record of 11 consecutive league victories in a season before the break and will tie Juventus' overall record with a win over Inzaghi's side.
"There are more concerns than certainties, such a long break is something new for everyone," Inzaghi told reporters on Tuesday.
"We’ve worked hard, those who arrived later from the World Cup are catching up, I am satisfied with everyone even if the condition can’t be the same for all.
"We are looking forward to starting again, last season’s fixture was an exciting match that gave us a boost for the following months. We know we’ll face a great team, the only unbeaten one in Europe."
There was good news for the Italian coach regarding the many injuries the team have had this season.
"We finally have four strikers available, Lautaro (Martinez) arrived four days ago, but he is ok, (Joaquin) Correa is improving, (Edin) Dzeko and (Romelu) Lukaku trained with the team a bit more. We have two training sessions left, and I will make my assessments," Inzaghi said.
"Lukaku is feeling good, same as Lautaro. Dutch players are doing well (Denzel) Dumfries had a little problem but is returning. (Andre) Onana is quiet and has desire.
"There is enthusiasm, we want to play a great game tomorrow."
Inter are fifth in the league standings, trailing leaders Napoli by 11 points, but Inzaghi has not given up on the Scudetto just yet.
"... 23 games are remaining, and we want to recover lost ground against one of the best teams in Europe. It all passes from the pitch, we are a united group with extraordinary fans," he said.
WE WILL START WHERE WE LEFT OFF
Coach Luciano Spalletti says Napoli will continue to play the way they did before the break as they chase their third Scudetto title.
"We are not starting again because, as I already said, we’ll start from where we left off," Spalletti told reporters on Tuesday.
"We’ll face a great team. We’ll play our brand of football which has given benefits to the team."
Napoli's previous Serie A titles came in 1987 and 1990 with a team inspired by former Argentina forward Diego Maradona.
Spalletti said he did not fear that the winning streak momentum was lost after the seven-week break for the World Cup.
"We began this amazing trip a year-and-a-half ago, and there are no stops, we will only rest when we know how it ends," he said, referring to his period at Napoli.
Inter have won each of their last four home Serie A matches against Napoli, creating a challenge for the only club in the top five European leagues that have not lost this season.
"Inter are a top team over the last three-and-a-half years, and they have made investments worthy of a top European club," he said.
"They know how to defend well, and they will be tricky with counter-attacks, leaving their two strikers against our two central defenders, so we’ll need organisation and balance."
Spalletti also warned against taking things for granted and said he merely wanted to bring happiness to fans.
"The Scudetto is your obsession, not mine. My obsession is to see this city explode in joy," he told reporters.