Can Napoli topple Real Madrid in UCL Group C?
SSC Napoli vs Real Madrid - 03/10/2023
Maciej Rogowski Photo / Shutterstock.com
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The UEFA Champions League serves up a heavyweight showdown in Group C on Tuesday, as Serie A champions Napoli host serial winners Real Madrid.
Napoli kicked off their UCL campaign with a 2-1 victory over Braga, while Real Madrid snatched a late 1-0 win against Union Berlin in their opener.
As a result, the Group C frontrunners are locked on three points ahead of Matchday 2, leaving Braga and Union Berlin at the bottom of the standings.
Napoli head into Tuesday’s clash on the back of a 4-0 victory over Lecce, with Leo Ostigard, Victor Osimhen, Gianluca Gaetano and Mattero Politano grabbing the goals.
Consequently, the Italian champions find themselves third in the Serie A table after seven games, having recorded four wins, two draws and one loss in the league.
Napoli enter Matchday 2 on a five-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, with three wins and two draws coming since their last loss.
It is also worth noting that Napoli have scored over 1.5 goals in six of their eight outings this season, netting four goals in each of their previous two matches.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, claimed a 3-0 victory over Girona last time out, courtesy of goals from Joselu, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham has now bagged seven goals and two assists in eight appearances for Los Blancos, making an excellent start to life in the Spanish capital.
In fact, Bellingham netted a 94th-minute winner as Real Madrid secured a last-gasp win against Union Berlin on Matchday 1, while the hosts racked up 76% possession and 32 shots.
Let’s not forget that Real Marid have won a record 14 UCL titles over the years, with five triumphs coming in the previous 10 seasons.
Head-to-head: Napoli and Real Madrid met during the 2016-17 Champions League campaign, with Los Blancos claiming a couple of 3-1 victories over the Italians.
Although the two sides have faced each other four times in Europe over the years, Napoli have failed to taste victory, suffering three defeats in the process.
Team news: Napoli will be without injured defender Amir Rrahmani (muscle) on Tuesday, while Pierluigi Gollini and Juan Jesus are doubts.
As for Real Madrid, David Alaba (muscle), Thibaut Courtois (knee), Arda Guler (muscle) and Eder Militao (knee) are all sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Napoli established themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in Europe last season, but Real Madrid’s longevity is difficult to ignore.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Real Madrid will claim all three points in Naples, although both teams are expected to score.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
UCL
253441
2
1 - 2
3.33
24°
2.55
2.63
3.60
2.55
no
no
no
2 - 3(1 - 2)
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