Sporting CP will be looking to build on their 4-1 UEFA Champions League (UCL) matchday-one win over Kairat Almaty as they travel to Italy to face a wounded Napoli.
Match News and Current Form
Not only were Napoli unable to get anything on Sunday against ten-man AC Milan (2-1), they also lost two weeks ago at Manchester City (2-0) in the UCL after picking up a red card themselves. Antonio Conte’s men can console themselves in the knowledge that both those defeats have come away from Stadio Diego Armando Maradona - their only losses of the season to date - while on their own turf, they are unbeaten in their last 13 matches (W10, D3). By contrast though, the Partenopei have won just one of their last five UCL home games (D3, L1).
Unlike Napoli, Sporting enjoyed their weekend, beating Estoril 1-0 to make it seven wins in eight matches across all competitions (L1). In the process, they secured back-to-back clean-sheet victories for the second time this season, with their last goal conceded, against Kairat, coming after they had already gone 4-0 up. That result against the Kazakh side ended an unwanted run of six games without a win in Europe (D2, L4), with the Portuguese giants scoring just four times during that barren sequence.
Head-to-Head History
Napoli and Sporting have only faced each other in one previous tie - in the UEFA Cup first round in the 1989/90 season - in which both legs finished 0-0 before the Italians prevailed 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Napoli have scored in each of their last 21 UCL home matches, including qualifying (W12, D6, L3).
Napoli have not yet received a first-half yellow card this season.
Sporting have not drawn any of their last 11 matches (W9, L2).
Six of the last seven red cards in Sporting games have been dished out to their opponents.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
You are more likely to see Stanislav Lobotka in a deeper role for Napoli than further up the pitch, but in the seven games for them across his career in which he has either scored or assisted, including against Pisa in September, he has been on the winning side each time. Luis Suárez continued his impressive start to life at Sporting by getting the winner against Estoril on Saturday, meaning that he has now emerged victorious in each of his last ten goalscoring appearances for club and country.
Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo is suspended for this fixture after his dismissal at the Etihad, while Sporting do not seem to have any fresh absentees ahead of this game.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Given Napoli’s strong home form and Sporting’s tendency to score, betting on both teams to score and over 2.5 total goals here seems very inviting.
Author: Alex Bowmer