Can Napoli get back in the race? Prediction for the match against Bodø/Glimt on October 20
On Friday, October 20, Italian side Napoli will host Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt at the legendary Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples in the third round of the UEFA Champions League league phase. This match is of decisive importance for both teams’ tournament prospects: the hosts urgently need to end their losing streak and claim their first points, while the visitors will be looking to consolidate their position in the playoff zone.
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Napoli made an extremely poor start to their European campaign and, after two matches, sit in a dismal 32nd place in the league table. The Italian club opened the league phase with a painful 0-1 defeat to Arsenal before going down 1-3 to Villarreal in a hard-fought encounter. Rooted to the bottom of the unified standings without a single point, Napoli are under enormous pressure. In the upcoming home fixture, Max Allegri’s men must step onto the pitch fully focused and play on the front foot in order to restore their confidence and reignite their push to continue their European campaign.
Bodø/Glimt entered the tournament with a reputation as a combative and fearless side, and they have backed up that status over the opening rounds. The Norwegian team occupy 24th place in the unified standings with 3 points to their name. They suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat to Bayern Munich at the start of the league phase, but then pulled off a sensation by beating Borussia Dortmund 1-0 at home. The visitors have shown that they can punish any opponent for the slightest sign of complacency, and they now travel to Naples intent on taking the fight to the Serie A giants and snatching some precious points.
The tactical script for the upcoming clash will be built entirely around Napoli’s total dominance, with the hosts taking control of possession from the opening whistle, raising the tempo and unleashing wave after wave of attacks on the visitors’ goal. Napoli will use an aggressive counter-press and frequent bursts down the flanks, supplying the penalty area with crosses and cutbacks in an attempt to break through the Norwegian defence. Bodø/Glimt will respond with a compact mid and low block, tight man-marking in the central areas and a focus on lightning-fast vertical counterattacks into the spaces left behind. Napoli’s relentless pressure and the difference in individual quality will inevitably lead to structural breakdowns in the Norwegian side’s defence, although the visitors should certainly get their own opportunities in open space.
Prediction
I expect the teams to produce an entertaining, high-scoring match with plenty of goals. My prediction: both teams to score – YES at 1.58
