Surprise packages Como up next for title-chasing Inter

April 9 : Inter Milan head into the final stretch of the Serie A season with the Scudetto in their grasp, and the game at high-flying Como on Sunday looks the main obstacle in their bid for a 21st league title.

Cristian Chivu's side, who hold a seven-point advantage at the top of the standings with seven rounds left, face a side who have emerged as the season’s most improbable success story.

Sitting in fourth place, the lakeside club had won six consecutive matches before a 0-0 draw at Udinese on Monday.

Chivu can take comfort from the fact forwards Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram appear to be back to their best after injuries. The pair dominated Sunday's 5-2 rout of AS Roma, providing the cutting edge for an attack that boasts a league-high goal difference.

Martinez’s brace against Roma took his tally to 16 league goals this season, but the Argentine dismissed any talk of early celebrations.

"We know we are close, but in football, nothing is finished until the maths says so," Martinez said. "Our focus is solely on the next 90 minutes."

Como will look to their own flourishing partnership of Anastasios Douvikas and Nico Paz. The pair have combined for 21 league goals this season, with Douvikas netting 11 and Paz adding 10 from midfield.

NAPOLI CHALLENGE FOR SECOND

A frantic battle for the remaining podium spots is unfolding behind Inter. Napoli moved into second place, leapfrogging AC Milan after a late goal from Matteo Politano gave the champions a 1-0 home win on Monday.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte, whose side travel to Parma on Sunday, has urged his squad to ignore the standings.

"We’ve got to be realistic here. We would need to not make a single mistake, and at the same time hope that Inter slip up more than once," he