Napoli v Real Madrid is a match valid for the second day of the Champions League group stage and is played on Tuesday at 21:00: tv, formations, predictions.
The Champions League music returns to the ‘Maradona’ and Carlo Ancelotti, who led Napoli for just over a year from summer 2018 to autumn 2019, when he was forced to deal with one of the few exonerations of his coaching career, studded with triumphs and successes, also returns for the first time as an opponent.
With the Neapolitan piazza, however, the famous ‘spark’ never broke out. And the relationship with owner Aurelio De Laurentiis was also controversial, to the point that his departure is still a cause for discussion at the foot of Vesuvius. Ancelotti has now become ‘King Carlo’ again in Madrid after taking Real back to the roof of Europe and the world last year. In his future there is the intriguing post of Brazil’s technical commissioner, but for the moment the coach from Reggiolo only thinks of the Blancos and after an underwhelming season he is still hungry for victories. Driven by the goals of their new summer signing, Englishman Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid have managed to make up for the absence of key players such as goalkeeper Courtois and Brazilian Vinicius – who only returned a few days ago – and with eight victories in nine games they are leading both La Liga (21 points, +1 on Barcelona) and the Champions League round, a lead they share with Napoli.
Eight wins in nine games so far for the Blancos
In the first day, however, how hard it was to get the better of Union Berlin: the Germans were only beaten in the dying moments by a goal from the usual Bellingham (1-0).
Di Lorenzo
In the league, however, Real only missed the Madrid derby with Atletico Madrid, losing 3-0 at the Metropolitano. Ancelotti’s men bounced back immediately, first beating newly-promoted Las Palmas with a comfortable 2-0 win and then routing Girona (0-3) in the last round, a team that until last Saturday had yet to lose. Napoli, on the other hand, seem to have unblocked themselves after a troubled start to say the least, in which the square had begun to call for Rudi Garcia’s head.
The French coach, on the other hand, can now breathe thanks to two successes in a row against Udinese and Lecce, with the Azzurri having found Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia again: four goals against the Friulani and as many against the Salentini, conceding only one. For Napoli, on paper, it was a direct clash for first place in the round after the narrow victory on the opening day at home to Braga, who were brought down thanks to an own goal by Niakaté in the final. Garcia confirmed the centre-back pairing of Natan and Ostigard: Juan Jesus and Rrahmani were absent. Real Madrid also had an emergency in defence, with neither Militao nor Alaba available.
The prediction
The two most recent precedents date back to 2017, when Napoli and Real Madrid faced each other in the round of 16, also Champions League: the Blancos prevailed both in the first leg and in the return with a 3-1 result. The Azzurri in the last two matches have given important signs of recovery after a complicated start, but Real is still Real and with this competition, the Madrid players, as usual, are exalted. Ancelotti’s side are favourites but are unlikely to fail to keep their goals unbroken against a Napoli side who have so far only gone goalless in the league match against Bologna.
Napoli v Real Madrid matchday squad
- NAPOLI (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Østigård, Natan, Olivera; Zambo Anguissa, Lobotka, Zieliński; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
- REAL MADRID (4-3-1-2): Kepa; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, Camavinga; Modrić, Tchouaméni, Valverde; Bellingham; Joselu, Vinícius Jr.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
