Genk V Napoli
Wednesday 2 September 2019 – 17:55 Kick-Off
UEFA Champions League
Pick: Napoli & Over 2.5 Match Goals
Odds: 10/11
Bookmaker: Coral
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13/2 | 12/5 | 4/7 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 30th September 2019 at 13:20)
Preview: Italian club Napoli are on the charge in Group E, after recording a sensational 2-0 win over reigning European champions Liverpool first time out. Their next opponents are Belgian champions Genk, who were hit for six by FC Salzburg in Austria. The latter will have home advantage on this occasion but will that be enough to prevent Napoli from inflicting more pain?
UEFA Champions League Betting – 22Bet
Genk Preview – Belgians still reeling from heavy loss?
Normally when you manage to score twice away from home in European competition, there is a very healthy likelihood of that team securing a positive result. Well, that doesn’t apply when that same team concedes three times as many up the other end of the pitch, as was the case on Matchday One as Genk shipped six goals to Austrian newcomers FC Salzburg to begin their 2019-20 Champions League campaign with a 6-2 defeat.
Just how does a team respond to such a trouncing? Genk did bounce back though, briefly at least. Within days of that mauling in Austria, the Belgians would making a winning return to domestic action by defeating Oostende 3-1 at home. And when the reigning domestic champions raced into a 3-0 lead away to Sint-Truiden at the weekend, all appeared well again. That was until a second-half capitulation of epic proportions, conceding three times in the final 30 minutes to draw 3-3!
The bigger picture is not exactly encouraging, either. Genk have made a very poor start to the defence of their domestic title, sitting six points off the leaders in sixth position (W4 D2 L3), all whilst conceding more goals (13 from 9 games played) than all the sides currently above them. The one positive would have to be their home form, winning three of four said fixtures so far (W3 L1). Meanwhile in last season’s Europa League group stage, they would go unbeaten in Belgium (W2 D1) – collecting maximum points against Malmo and Sarpsborg.
Napoli Preview – Mertens to inspire Italians to another victory?
One of the more outstanding results from Matchday One was Napoli’s triumph over the current European champions, defeating Liverpool 2-0 in Naples courtesy of late goals from Dries Mertens and Fernando Llorente. The xG might suggest it was a deserved victory (NAP 1.80 – 0.76 LIV) but both goals were a little fortuitous; the first a controversially awarded penalty, the second a rare error from UEFA Player of the Year, Virgil van Dijk.
The Partenopei will not care how it was achieved only that it is they who sit top of Group E. What will have concerned them, though, was losing their very next fixture – a shock home defeat at the hands of Cagliari in Serie A. That was only a second defeat of the season for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, having lost a seven-goal thriller 4-3 to Juventus much earlier in the campaign (W4 L2, GF15 GA10 in Serie A this season). They sit fourth in the table as things stand, six points off a flawless Inter Milan side.
Beating Brescia 2-1 at home on Sunday was timely therefore, with Dries Mertens once again on hand to open the scoring – the Belgium forward will be keen to have a big impact on his return to his home country and is 4/1 with Bet365 to notch the first goal of the match. The final scoreline, however, was a lot closer than some might have anticipated, and was yet another occasion in which a clean sheet proved elusive. Napoli have now prevented only two of their seven opponents from scoring this season.
Genk V Napoli Key Facts:
- Genk made the worst possible start in Group E, conceding six away to FC Salzburg in a 6-2 defeat.
- Napoli stunned the European champions in their opening game of the group, beating Liverpool 2-0 at home.
- Respective preparations were mixed: Genk drew 3-3 away to Sint-Truiden despite leading 3-0, meanwhile Napoli beat Brescia 2-1 at home.
Betting Summary
Genk are the current Belgian champions. That might be difficult to believe on recent evidence, having made a sluggish start to their title defence back home. Felice Mazzu’s side have leaked goals throughout the campaign, which was widely expected to continue into this competition when facing superior sides. Even so, to concede six times away to FC Salzburg in their first game of the tournament, losing 6-2, was truly woeful. They would concede another three at the weekend, surrendering a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with mid-table Sint-Truiden.
Napoli would pick up another crucial win on Sunday, warming up for this trip to Belgium by defeating Brescia 2-1 in Naples to climb into fourth in Serie A (W4 L2). It was also in Naples where they upset the reigning champions, beating Liverpool 2-0. No clean sheet in any of their three away encounters in 2019/20 might offer some hope for the hosts, however.
The Belgians don’t even appear to be the best team in their own country right now, so it does feel a stretch expecting them to match this classy and experienced Napoli side. Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit play an expansive brand of football, which will always leave them vulnerable defensively, but their dangerous attackers should have few problems exploiting a leaky Genk defence still on the mend from conceding six in Austria.
