IN BRIEF
Manager: Luciano Spalletti
Group stage performance: 1st (WWWWWL - vs Ajax, Liverpool, Rangers)
UEFA Champions Leagues/European Cups: 0
Last season’s performance: DNQ
SO FAR…
Napoli have been absolutely sensational in both Serie A and the UEFA Champions League so far this season. The Neapolitans have only ever won the Scudetto twice and both of those triumphs came when captained by Diego Maradona. They are the runaway league leaders in Italy and it could well be a truly special season in the south of Italy.
Luciano Spalletti’s side were close to perfect in the UEFA Champions League group stages with five successive victories being followed by a final day loss to Liverpool at Anfield when they had already effectively won the group.
They began their campaign exactly how the rest of the season has gone generally with a 4-1 demolition of Liverpool at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, formerly known as the San Paolo.
They followed that win up with two victories apiece against both Ajax and Rangers, managing to score a total of 16 goals in those four matches, including an incredible 6-1 win in Amsterdam against the Dutch champions.
WHAT ARE NAPOLI’S CHANCES IN THE KNOCKOUT STAGES?
It is difficult to articulate just how incredible the transformation and evolution of this Napoli side has been with their plethora of attacking options generally blessing their impressive and well co-ordinated front-foot style of football. There is a clear hierarchy to the eleven, too, allowing for a more cohesive and well defined assignment of roles and general chemistry on the pitch.
For example, their front three of the Georgian Maradona, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the wondrous Victor Osimhen and perpetually lively Hirving Lozano has the secure depth of Matteo Politano, Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori.
That depth is reflected pretty much throughout the team with one-time £70 million midfielder Tanguy Ndombele struggling for regular game time due to the impressive performances of Piotr Zielinski, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka.
The only thing potentially standing in Napoli’s way in terms of a deep run into this competition is their potential overarching and overwhelming desire to win the Italian title. That appears a formality at this stage, which could allow focus to entirely shift to Europe’s elite club competition.
ODDS TO WIN THE 2022-23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 13/1
Odds used are the best at Oddschecker at the time of writing