Skip to main content

Napoli v Wolfsburg: Rafa's boys to finish Italian job in style

Thursday April 22, 20:05
Live on BT Sport 1

Wolfsburg chose the worst possible time to put in their most feeble display of the season last week, as Napoli ruthlessly punished every mistake they made. Although Gonzalo Higuain's opener in the 4-1 defeat had more than a hint of handball about it, there's no question that the better side on the night won.
The Wolves have had a terrific season, but they looked tired during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Schalke in the Bundesliga. Champions League qualification has been assured, and this Europa League tie now looks beyond their reach, so the German Cup (they play third-tier Arminia Bielefeld in the semis) has moved to the top of the priority list.
Napoli have responded strongly to biting criticism from club supremo Aurelio De Laurentiis, and have won their last three games in all competitions, scoring 10 goals in the process. As I alluded to in last week's preview, Partenopei boss Rafa Benitez is a master of the two-legged tie. He set his team up perfectly last week, pressuring Wolfsburg into costly errors.
In the previous round, Napoli won the first leg 4-0 at Trabzonspor, and then they shut things down at the San Paolo with a 1-0 home win. I'm expecting something similar this time around, so Under 2.5 Goals is certainly worth considering at 2.40.
The bet that stands out to me is the 2.30 on offer for the home win. Wolfsburg's recent away performances have been patchy, and they will be without attacking talisman Kevin De Bruyne because of a bruised foot. Andre Schurrle is also absent, so the oft-derided Nicklas Bendtner (who scored in the first leg) is set to start.
Napoli have won all five of their home games in the Europa League, and against a weakened and demoralised Wolfsburg, I'd expect them to make it six. It's also worth noting that Napoli are unbeaten in their last 11 European home games, winning nine of them.

Recommended Bet
Back Napoli to win at 2.30



Popular posts from this blog

Atletico Madrid v Borussia Dortmund: In-form Germans will score again

Atletico Madrid  1.84  v Borussia Dortmund  5.10 ; The Draw  3.75 Tuesday 6 November, 20:00 Live on BT Sport Extra Borussia mark themselves out as contenders with Atletico thumping The reverse fixture produced one of the shock results in the last round of  Champions League  games, as Borussia Dortmund thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 at home. Dortmund's margin of victory against such an experienced European outfit, famed for their defensive solidity, was a major show of intent and marks them out as real contenders to win the competition. At the weekend they continued their fine form with a 1-0 win at  Wolfsburg , which stretched their unbeaten record this season (P17 W14 D3 L0). Lucien Favre's  side are now four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, which is the same number that currently separates Atletico Madrid from the La Liga leaders Barcelona. A 1-1 draw at Leganes over the weekend, stretched Atletico's unbeaten run in their d...

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund: Eagles to build a wall in Berlin

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund Saturday 27 May, 19:00 Live on BT Sport ESPN Eintracht Frankfurt This time last season, Eintracht Frankfurt were  fighting for survival  in a Bundesliga playoff against second-tier side Nurnberg. Fast forward a year, and they are preparing for their first major cup final since 2006, having finished well clear of relegation trouble this term. Having steered the Eagles through that playoff against Nurnberg, coach  Niko Kovac  set about galvanising not just the squad, but the entire club. Working with sporting director Bruno Hubner and former Germany striker Fredi Bobic,  Kovac has injected new life into an organisation that was drifting. Youngsters like defender  Jesus Vallejo  and forward Ante Rebic have been brought in on loan to good effect, and astute pickups like holding midfielder Omar Mascarell and forward Branimir Hrgota have become effective cogs in the machine. Although Frankfurt have twice...

Real Madrid v Plzen: Back hosts' scoring struggles to continue

Real Madrid  1.09  v Plzen  40.00 ; The Draw  15.00 Tuesday 23 October, 20:00 Live on BT Sport ESPN Lopetegui on brink as Madrid malaise continues Ordinarily this match would almost be guaranteed to be a routine home win that had the potential to be embarrassing for the visitors, but these are not ordinary times at  Real Madrid . The Spanish giants are now without a win in their last five games (D1 L4), after losing 2-1 at home to Levante at the weekend.  Marcelo's  72nd minute goal broke a painful spell of 481 accumulated minutes without a goal. Unsurprisingly,  Julen Lopetegui  is under huge pressure and it would be no surprise if he were sacked before this match takes place on Tuesday. If he survives the game and it's aftermath, then Sunday's El Clasico could finish him off. Despite Real's abject form, it would still be a massive shock if they failed to beat Viktoria Plzen, who were thrashed 5-0 by Roma in their most recent...