Tuesday 6th November 2000hrs Napoli v PSG Football – Europe – Champions League Group C is shaping up to be arguably the most fascinating of the lot with three top teams all vying for one of two positions that would see them qualify for the knockout stages. Two of those clash in the second half of their double header with honours shared in Paris two weeks ago. It was one of the games of the group stage thus far and we can hope for more of the same tomorrow. Continue reading for a match preview as Napoli take on PSG with a best bet selected.
At the start of the group stage if you offered Napoli a 2-2 draw away to PSG then I’m sure they would have taken it. As things have transpired, however, and in the context of this group then it could well be that they dropped two valuable points which could well prove vital in the final standings. Napoli took the lead twice and were the better side throughout only to succumb to an injury time equaliser that leaves them just a point ahead of their opponents but with the home game still to come. It’s been a positive first half of their group campaign with the highlight being a 1-0 win at home to Liverpool in what has been their only home game thus far. PSG will represent another big test, of course they will, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men have an excellent record at home and haven’t lost in their own stadium since March – a run of 13 wins and two draws. The match against the Parisians on Tuesday is the first of two home games in a row in this section with Crvena Zvezda visiting at the end of November. Six points from those two games would seal their place in the knockout phase – easier said than done but it is well within their grasp based on their performance in Paris.
There was great hope – as there inevitably is – surrounding PSG at the start of the season with a new head coach in Thomas Tuchel tasked with leading them to European glory and Neymar fully fit once again following missing the majority of the second half of last season through injury. PSG supporters have also come used to that hope disappearing relatively quickly and we could well be on the cusp of that once again. The Parisians have amassed just four points from their first three Champions League group games – losing 3-2 away to Liverpool before thrashing the weakest team in the group by a distance, Crvena Zvezda, and then salvaging a draw last time out at home to Napoli. PSG may well be setting all sorts of records domestically with win after win and virtually securing another Ligue 1 title before we even reach December, but their performances in Europe against Liverpool and Napoli have left a lot to be desired. Unlike last season when they cruised the group stage, PSG have looked extremely vulnerable against those opponents and probably couldn’t have any complaints if they had failed to take anything from either. As it is, Angel Di Maria’s goal in the closing seconds two weeks ago has given them a fighting chance at least.
Napoli v PSG Betting Tip
Liverpool are currently ahead of both these teams with Napoli a point behind the leaders and PSG a further point adrift – so all is not lost. We would very much expect all three of those teams to get a win against the Serbian champions which means it’s going to come down to the games against each other that will ultimately decide who qualifies – with the first of those taking place in Naples on Tuesday.
The Champions League is notorious for throwing up anomalies and it’s interesting to see that Napoli are a point ahead of PSG despite only scoring three goals in their three games whilst the French champions have netted 10 times thus far. The nature of the match on Tuesday suggests that we could well see a few more and as we witnessed in the first game between these two, there is no shortage of quality attacking players on show. Ancelotti had to settle for a draw on his return to the Parc Des Princes a fortnight ago but he will be confident that his team can edge it this time around courtesy of their excellent home record and PSG looking decidedly fragile when travelling to Anfield in their only away game to date in this section. Rather than select an outright bet I am going to place my faith in a similar outcome to the first game with both teams scoring and there being at least three goals in the game.
Selection: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals 4/5 @ Boylesports
