RMD (Real Madrid) vs NAP (SSC Napoli) Match Prediction
UEFA Champions League
Santiago Bernabeu
Union Berlin and Braga are the other two teams that make up this group. Real Madrid have already qualified for the next stage of the Champions League.
For Napoli, they still have some work to do. Napoli need to win one of their last two games to qualify alongside Real Madrid. If Napoli fails to win this game and if Braga beats Berlin at home, then the qualification status will go to the final game week of the season.
The winner between Napoli and Braga will qualify for the next round. Napoli would not want their fate to come to the last day and hence will want to wrap up their qualification by beating Real Madrid.
The record Champions League winners Real Madrid in their last game in Europe faced off against Braga at home. Real Madrid completely dominated Braga from the off in every aspect of the game. Brahim Diaz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 27th minute. Madrid kept knocking on their door for the second with Braga also giving them occasional scares in defence.
They finally doubled their lead in the 58th minute through Vini Jr with a very well-taken strike. Rodrygo put the cherry on the top by scoring in the 61st minute to complete Madrid’s rout over Braga. Madrid in their last La Liga game brat Cadiz away from home with a brace from Rodrygo and a goal from Bellingham.
Napoli in their last game had the chance to practically qualify for the next round of the Champions League but they missed the opportunity to do so. The side from Naples welcomed Union Berlin to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last match week.
The encounter was a highly transitional affair with both teams having an abundance of shots at each other's goals. Napoli ended the night with 27 shots with 5 being on target. Union Berlin on the other hand had 15 shots out of which 6 shots were on target.
The game in the end produced only 2 goals in all. Matteo Politano opened the scoring in the 39th minute. David Datro Fofana equalised for the visitors in the 52nd minute. Napoli had a raft of chances to go clear of sight in this game but their finishing in front of the goal let them down.
Facts:
- Real Madrid has a brilliant record against clubs from Italy. The Spanish Giants have beaten their Italian counterparts in 15 of their last 16 games in the UEFA Champions League. In those 15 games, Madrid has just lost once and has won 9 games in a row which is the highest number of consecutive wins a team has stacked up against Italian sides.
- Napoli have been good on the road in the Champions League this season. They have already collected victories away from home at Union Berlin and Braga this season. Both were consecutive victories and if they beat Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, then it would be the first time, they would have registered three consecutive away wins in a row in their entire European history.
- Real Madrid has a fantastic record at home in the UEFA Champions League. Madrid has not lost a single game in any of their last 9 games at home winning 8 and drawing 1. They recently have also been defensively sound keeping 4 clean sheets in their last 5 games at home.
- Napoli as a team this season is not doing well when they take the lead in games. The Italian club have lost 5 points in the Champions League from winning positions. Only Royal Antwerp and Manchester United have lost more points with 6 this season.
Real Madrid vs SSC Napoli Chance of Winning
Napoli and Real Madrid will go into this game having faced each other quite a few times before this. The record however favours the Spanish team. In the last 3 games that these two teams have played, Real Madrid has won all three fixtures against Napoli. The Italian outfit has failed to beat Real Madrid in their decorated history.
Real Madrid at the moment is cruising in La Liga and the Champions League. Things did take a bad turn when it was revealed that Vini Jr will miss a few months through injury. Real Madrid is a team that is short on attacking players.
Losing Vini Jr is a big blow for this Real Madrid team in the long term. However, in this game, we believe that they can knock Napoli clean. The talisman upfront Bellingham will always be a threat but their midfield core of Valverde, Kroos and Modric are so key for them.
In games like these, it is so key that the midfield takes more command, especially in terms of scoring goals. Joselu upfront is not the most glamorous of names but the Spaniard is doing a good job.
Napoli on the other hand does go into this game with a little bit of confidence especially in their defence knowing that they won’t have to face the trickery and explosiveness of Vini Jr. That could be an advantage but in no way do we see them having a higher chance of winning this game than Real Madrid.
Real Madrid vs SSC Napoli Predictions and Betting Tips
According to the bookmakers, Real Madrid goes into this game as major favourites to beat Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid goes into this game with a formidable record at their home stadium. In La Liga, they have an 83%-win record at home and in the UEFA Champions League, they have a 100% record having failed to drop a single point in any of their games this season. In La Liga, Real Madrid scored 2.5 goals on average at home this season.
In the Champions League, they have scored 4 goals in 2 games averaging 2 goals per game. When they visited Naples, they scored three goals on that matchday against Napoli. Hence our pick is for Real Madrid to score more than 2.5 goals against Napoli.
They average 16.33 shots at home this season. Even against Napoli in their last game, they had 18 shots in the whole game. Hence it is safe to say that Real Madrid should easily have 16 or more shots in this game.
Napoli on the other hand have surprisingly done better away from home than at home this season in the Serie A. Napoli averaged 2.43 points per game away from home in comparison to their home average of just 1.17 points.
They also tend to score more goals away from home averaging 2.29 goals this season. We believe that Napoli has every chance to score against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Napoli has the personnel to worry Real Madrid and hence we believe both teams will score in this game.
Jude Bellingham has been a revelation for Real Madrid since he signed for them from Dortmund. The Englishman is playing almost as a false nine/ striker.
Bellingham was signed as a box-to-box midfielder but his goal scoring attributes have pushed him higher up the field and his numbers do not lie.
Bellingham has already scored 9 goals in the UEFA Champions League in his career. He has 3 goals this season, scoring in every game he has featured in.
Bellingham also has 11 goals in 12 games in La Liga for Madrid. He also netted in his team's win against Napoli in the reverse fixture. Bellingham is our shout-for favourite to score for Real Madrid.
For Napoli, Victor Osimhen returning is a major boost going into this game. Raspadori has done a decent job in his place but the Nigerian before his injury had scored 6 goals in 9 matches in the Serie A.
Our pick for Napoli for goalscoring will be Victor Osimhen provided he starts in this game. We advise you to check the lineup 1 hour before kick-off before placing your bets. Raspadori will be our backup shout for Napoli.
Final Prediction:Real Madrid to beat SSC Napoli
Real Madrid Player List
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Kepa Arrizabalaga
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Nacho, Lucas Vasquez, Fran Garcia, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Arda Guler
Attackers:Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Joselu, Brahim Diaz
Real Madrid Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Andriy Lunin |
Goalkeeper |
|
Dani Carvajal |
Defender |
|
Nacho |
Defender |
|
Antonio Rudiger |
Defender |
|
Ferland Mendy |
Defender |
|
Federico Valverde |
Midfielder |
|
Toni Kroos |
Midfielder |
|
Luka Modric |
Midfielder |
|
Jude Bellingham |
Midfielder |
|
Rodrygo |
Attacker |
|
Joselu |
Attacker |
Real Madrid Team Form(Last five-game): W, W, D, W, D
SSC Napoli Player List
Goalkeepers: Alex Meret, Nikita Contini, Hubert Idasiak, Pierluigi Gollini
Defenders: Natan De Souza, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui Silva Duarte, Amir Rrahmani, Mathias Olivera, Giovanni De Lorenzo, Leo Ostigard, Alessandro Zanoli
Midfielders: Diego Demme, Eljif Elmas, Piotr Zielinski, Jens Cajuste, Jesper Lindstrom, Lorenzo Russo, Stanislav Lobotka, Gianluca Gaetano, Frank Anguissa
Attackers:Victor Osimhen, Giovanni Simeone, Matteo Politano, Alessio Zerbin, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giacomo Raspadori
SSC Napoli Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Alex Meret |
Goalkeeper |
|
Giovanni De Lorenzo |
Defender |
|
Amir Rrahmani |
Defender |
|
Leo Ostigard |
Defender |
|
Mathias Olivera |
Defender |
|
Stanislav Lobotka |
Midfielder |
|
Frank Anguissa |
Midfielder |
|
Piotr Zielinski |
Midfielder |
|
Matteo Politano |
Attacker |
|
Giacomo Raspadori |
Attacker |
|
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia |
Attacker |
SSC Napoli Team Form(Last five-game): W, L, W, D, W
Real Madrid vs SSC Napoli Head-To-Head
Matches Played:5
Real Madrid wins:4
SSC Napoli wins:0
Matches are drawn:1
Real Madrid vs SSC Napoli Betting Odds
Real Madrid to win the match (PARIMATCH): 1.85.
SSC Napoli to win the match (PARIMATCH): 4.20.
Match to end in a draw (PARIMATCH): 3.90.
The betting odds have been calculated based on team performances in previous matches, player records etc. Odds are subject to change.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win
Real Madrid
Real Madrid has one of the most well-rounded squads in the Champions League this season. Jude Bellingham is just playing his football on another level right now. Madrid with their trio of Vini Jr, Rodrygo and Bellingham are one of the most dangerous units out there. Vini Jr however will miss a considerable amount of football with a big injury that could limit them attacking-wise.
Napoli on the other hand had attacking injury concerns of their own with Osimhen. The Nigerian however is now fit to play and could play a major role in this game. Napoli also plays the better brand of football away from home season.
Real Madrid does still have enough in their artillery to get past Napoli, especially at home. We believe Carlo Ancelotti as a manager is at his best when odds are stacked up against him. A 3-1 Real Madrid win is our prediction.
Parimatch