Conte keeps Inter guessing with Napoli team selection for Scudetto showdown

Inter and Napoli are preparing for a titanic clash at the top of the Serie A table on Saturday evening, but Antonio Conte is leaving his opposition guessing when it comes to his team selection and formation.

There is currently just one point separating the two teams ahead of kick-off. Inter currently lead the division after a 1-0 victory over Genoa at the weekend, with Napoli just behind them after they slipped off the top with a 2-1 defeat against Como at the Sinigaglia on Sunday.

With three draws and a loss so far in February, some outlets in Italy claim that Napoli are in the midst of a crisis of results, and to make it worse, Conte has a few major injury concerns to deal with as well. David Neres remains out, and it was revealed on Wednesday that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is expected to miss at least three weeks of action.

As Neres has missed the last two matches with a hamstring injury, Conte has switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2, but outlets in Italy remain unsure as to how the coach will line his team up for the Inter clash on Saturday.

Reports on Tuesday claimed that Conte could swap back to a 4-3-3, with Philip Billing coming in as a like-for-like replacement for Anguissa, and Leonadro Spinazzola being pushed up onto the left wing.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that there are another two possible options, though.

The first would be sticking with the 3-5-2, effectively going with the same team that started in the 2-1 loss against Como on Sunday. Giacomo Raspadori has been in decent form as of late, and playing as a second striker behind Romelu Lukaku gets the best out of him.

The Pink Paper also suggests that there is a possibility of Napoli lining up in a 4-2-3-1, with either Billy Gimour of Billing playing alongside Stanislav Lobotka in a double pivot, with Scott McTominay pushed up into an advanced midfield role.

In that instance, Spinazzola and Matteo Politano would be the go-to wingers, which would likely mean the in-form Raspadori missing out.