Napoli vs Sporting Braga

Napoli’s bid to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 is on the line as they welcome Sporting Braga to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

One step away from reaching the Champions League knockouts for the fifth time in club history, Napoli come into the final group stage round knowing a point here would seal their runner-up finish in Group C. ‘I Partenopei’ have blown hot and cold in the first five rounds (W2, D1, L2), with both wins unexpectedly arriving on hostile turf. Indeed, the Diego Maradona Stadium has been anything but a safe haven of late, with the reigning Serie A champions going winless in their last six competitive home outings (D2, L4). With that in mind, posting a fourth consecutive winless home match in the Champions League for the first time emerges as a genuine prospect. Losing 1-0 at Juventus in the dress rehearsal is hardly a decent warm-up, especially considering that result saw them drop out of the Serie A top four.

On the other hand, Sporting Braga must avenge a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture to turn the tables on Napoli and advance into the Champions League knockouts for the first time ever. Simply winning won’t be enough, as the Portuguese giants must do it via a two-goal margin, something they’ve achieved in back-to-back domestic wins in the build-up to this trip. However, the visitors have notably struggled in the Champions League, suffering a worrying seven defeats in their last nine games in the competition (W1, D1), casting significant doubt on their chances of upsetting the apple cart in Naples. Moreover, they’ve lost six successive encounters against Italian clubs since beating Parma 1-0 in 2007!