Fresh from another routine Serie A win, Napoli turn their attention toward Champions League duties as they head to the Deutsche Bank Park to take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday. Ambitions have never been as high as now in the Partenopei camp, with Luciano Spalletti’s high-flyers seeking a coveted double.
Dynamic duo Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen were on the scoresheet as Napoli thrashed Sassuolo 2-0 on Friday to maintain a stunning 15-point lead at the top of the Serie A table. Barring a major surprise, the Partenopei should end a three-decade wait for the Scudetto this season. But their appetites stretch beyond the Italian borders.
After finishing top of a highly competitive Group A ahead of Liverpool, Ajax, and Rangers, Napoli are confident about advancing into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history. Having qualified for the knockout stages of Europe’s most prestigious club competition for the first time since 2019/20, runaway Serie A leaders are odds-on favorites to dispatch Frankfurt.
However, Oliver Glasner’s men are no pushovers. They navigated a breathtaking Group D finale to finish runners-up to Premier League heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur on the ultimate matchday, leaving the likes of Sporting CP and Olympique Marseille in their wake. Indeed, Frankfurt’s first-ever qualification for the Champions League knockout phase makes them the 11th German side to reach this stage.
Like Napoli, Die Adler enjoyed a triumphant weekend in their domestic championship, strolling to a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen on home turf. That result left Frankfurt on the periphery of the top four in the Bundesliga, but Glasner’s men must put aside their league aspirations if they’re to stand a chance against Spalletti’s free-flowing side.
Preview
Eintracht Frankfurt
Frankfurt blew hot and cold during the Champions League group stages (W3, D1, L2). The Germans must shore up their defensive woes after keeping just one clean sheet in their six outings in Group D, though it’s worth noting one of those two shutouts came in a scoreless home draw against section-toppers Tottenham on matchday three.
Glasner has done a stellar job with Die Adler in Europe. In addition to leading Frankfurt to a phenomenal Europa League triumph last season, he has lost just two of his 19 European fixtures in charge of the Bundesliga powerhouse (W10, D7). On top of their sublime continental form under Glasner, the hosts have suffered just two defeats in 11 UEFA-sanctioned games against Italian opposition (W6, D3).
Player to Watch: Randal Kolo Muani
As one of the hottest prospects in European football, it’s no wonder Randal Kolo Muani will be under the spotlight on Tuesday. The French striker knows where the goal is, having scored in his last two Champions League appearances.
Napoli
Napoli completed a formidable Champions League group-stage campaign as the most prolific team in the competition, netting a staggering 20 goals at an average of 3.33 per match. Likewise, Spalletti’s lads are leading the scoring charts in Serie A, bagging 56 goals after 23 outings, at least 12 more than any other side.
If that’s not enough to keep the spirits high in the Napoli camp, they’ve been victorious in their last two away encounters against German clubs in European competition, scoring six goals while conceding just one in return. Curiously, the Partenopei had been winless on their first ten continental visits to Germany beforehand (D5, L5).
Player to Watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Kvaratskhelia’s outrageous performances in the group stage saw him become the first Napoli player to register a goal and an assist in multiple Champions League games during a single season since Dries Mertens in 2017/18. Plus, he’s unstoppable!
Team News
Frankfurt cannot call upon the services of captain Sebastian Rode due to illness. Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe and Marcel Wenig are the two remaining absentees, though neither has been relevant to Die Adler’s set-up.
As for Napoli, Giacomo Raspadori is the only player unavailable to make this trip after picking up a thigh injury.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli Potential Lineups
Eintracht Frankfurt (3-4-2-1): Kevin Trapp; Hrvoje Smolcic, Evan N’Dicka, Tuta; Aurelio Buta, Daichi Kamada, Djibril Sow, Philipp Max; Jesper Lindstrom, Mario Gotze; Randal Kolo Muani.
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Piotr Zielinski; Hirving Lozano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli Prediction
With all due respect to Frankfurt’s impressive European exploits under Glasner, they could be well over their head here. It’s almost impossible not to back Napoli to secure a first-leg lead and potentially even decide this tie on Tuesday.
Prediction: Napoli Win
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