Wednesday 15th February 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs Real v Madrid v Napoli Football – Europe – Champions League You would be forgiven for thinking that these two being paired together in the round of 16 would usually mean that Real had finished top of their group and Napoli as runners up – that’s not the case this time around. The 2015/16 winners could only manage second place behind Borussia Dortmund whilst Napoli came out on top over Benfica in their own section. It’s arguably the most fascinating fixture of the round as it pits the experience and prestige of Real against the potential and exuberance of Napoli.
Zinedine Zidane seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to management. After taking over halfway through last season when Real looked to be toiling he galvanized them and led them to their 11th European Cup last May – beating rivals Atletico in Milan on penalties. Proving that was anything but a fluke, the Frenchman has taken Los Blancos to the top of La Liga where they look set for their first league triumph since 2012. As well as domestic glory, Real will also be aiming to become the first team to successfully retain the Champions League and whilst finishing second in the group has provided them with a very tricky tie against a dangerous Napoli team, there appears to be a mentality and desire within this squad that could see them make further history in the competition.
Napoli have had to contend with a number of setbacks over the last year, especially the loss of Gonzalo Higuain to rivals Juventus and then seeing his replacement Arkadiusz Milik getting a season ending injury in the first few weeks of the campaign. Despite that, Maurizio Sarri’s men have went from strength to strength the longer the season has went on. Dries Mertens has had an outstanding season as the focal point in attack and he’s been ably supported by captain Marek Hamsik and wise players Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon – the latter of whom will be making a return to his former club on Wednesday. Currently second in Serie A, it remains unlikely that they will be able to topple Juventus at the top, however qualifying for the Champions League for next season is their immediate aim and if they could prolong their participation in this year’s running then it would be seen as a successful campaign all things considered.
Real Madrid v Napoli Betting Tip
There has been much talk in the build up to this game about Zidane’s choice of formation in recent league games, preferring to play three at the back and in a more conservative fashion. It looked forced and constrained in the first half against Osasuna on Saturday and led to a change in approach for the second half. I would expect them to be in their tried and trust 4-2-3-1 for this one but Zidane is certainly looking for an alternative way of playing dependent on the personnel he has available. Napoli are at their best when countering and do so at devastating pace with clinical execution. Mertens, particularly, is thriving at this point in time and you can be sure that he will drag Real’s centre halves into positions they do not want to be throughout the game.
I am really intrigued to see how these two games pan out and although Real are widely favoured to make the quarter finals, Napoli have more than enough about them to cause an upset. Both teams are much stronger going forward than in defence and although first legs can be notoriously cagey, I just can’t see that being the case. Nobody has scored more goals in Serie A this season than the team from Naples whilst Real have scored at least two goals in all but three of their 17 home games this season.
Over 2.5 goals 4/7 @ Sportingbet
