Napoli vs Real Madrid: Preview, team news and predictions

Napoli will host Real Madrid in the second group game of the Champions League season. It will be a pivotal clash for both teams as they will slug it out for supremacy at the peak of the table. Napoli currently sits first and are tied with Real Madrid with three points after earning victories against SC Braga and Union Berlin, respectively.

Real Madrid are now back to winning ways after the loss to Athletico Madrid; they have gone ahead to beat Las Palmas and Girona. The wins have sent them back to the top of the table, just two points above Girona and Barcelona.

They expect a fierce fight, even fiercer than Union Berlin’s. In the last match, the La Liga club had to wait till the dying minutes of the match for Jude Bellingham’s 94th-minute winner.

Napoli are currently missing three key first-team players due to injuries: Juan Jesus, Amir Rahmani, and Pierluigi Gollini. While the absence of Jesus and Rahmani is significant, the team did not encounter any new injury concerns during their recent victory over Lecce in the league.

Both Victor Osimhen, who has scored five goals this season, and Matteo Politano are set to make their return to the attacking third of the field. It is anticipated that there won’t be any unexpected lineup changes for the home side in this match.

Real Madrid’s Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, Arda Guler, and David Alaba remain unavailable for selection.

Fran Garcia could be deployed as a left-back for the game to allow Eduardo Camavinga to move into his usual midfield role. Rodrygo is pushing for a recall in the attacking third, potentially partnering with Vinicius Junior, despite Joselu’s impressive goal-scoring form early in the season.