NAP (SSC Napoli) vs FCU (Union Berlin) Match Prediction
UEFA Champions League
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Napoli go into this game on the back of a convincing 2-0 win against Salernitana. The side from Naples started strongly as Kvaratskhelia picked up a loose ball on the left and took an impromptu shot that was whiskers off Salernitana’s goal. The home side came back with an effort of their own as Candreva’s corner was met by Pirola who rifled his header onto Meret but the goalkeeper did well to keep the scores level.
Napoli took the lead in the 13th minute as Lobotka did very well on the right to find Raspadori in the middle. The striker took a few yards before unleashing a powerful shot that beat the Salernitana goalkeeper to make it 1-0. 2 minutes later Salernitana keeper Ochoa once again made a fantastic save to deny Politano by putting his effort over the crossbar. The Mexican goalkeeper was called into action just before halftime as well making a stunning reflex save from Raspadori’s shot.
Napoli laid siege to the post at halftime again as Ochoa denied Raspadori and Politano hit the post in the first 4 minutes after the break. Ochoa was single handedly keeping the tie to 1-0 as he made a brilliant save once again to deny Zielinski from a long-range effort. Elif Elmas ended Salernitana’s hopes in the 83rd minute as he cut in from the left to curl his shot into the far post to make it 2-0.
Napoli and Union Berlin faced off in the UEFA Champions League last time with Napoli just edging out Union Berlin. Raspadori’s goal in the 65th minute was the difference between these two sides in the end as Union Berlin succumbed to their 3rd defeat in the group stage.
Over the weekend, Union Berlin lost once more as they were beaten convincingly by Eintracht Frankfurt. Omar Marmoush gave the visitors the lead in the 2nd minute of the game. He went on to double their lead in the 14th minute with Nacho Ferri putting the cherry on top to make it 3-0 in the 82nd minute. Frankfurt had only 4 shots in the whole game with all three on target ending up in Berlin’s goal. The home side had 11 shots in the whole game but couldn’t find the goal with their 3 shots on target.
Facts:
- Union Berlin is facing their worst stint of form in European competitions as of late. The German side have lost each of their last 4 European games coming into this tie. They are also one of the three teams in the Champions League this season alongside Royal Antwerp and Benfica to have not taken a single point off their opposition in three games.
- Napoli have done very well recently in their group stage games. The Italian side have lost 2 of their last 15 games with one loss coming to Real Madrid this season. Rudi Garcia’s men have been dominant in their group stage games as well scoring 36 goals in these games.
- Napoli’s loss to Real Madrid is their only loss in their last 14 home games in the Champions League. Napoli are brilliant at home winning 9 and drawing 4 of their last 14 games. Napoli has also never lost consecutive home games in the history of the European competition.
- Until now Schalke held the joint record of German teams to lose their first three consecutive games in the Champions League. Union Berlin could break that record if they lose to Napoli, becoming the only German side to lose their first four UCL games.
SSC Napoli vs Union Berlin Chance of Winning
These two teams faced off for the first time in their history in the game 2 weeks back as Napoli ended up getting the better of them and registering their first victory over the German side.
The team from Italy will go into this game as favourites once again. The reigning Italian Champions are unbeaten in their last four games scoring 8 goals in the process. Many did think that losing Osimhen would be a big blow to their goal scoring abilities but the emergence of Raspadori is proving to work quite well for Napoli. Rudi Garcia’s men had their work cut out for them when they visited Berlin last time but at their home stadium, they will be up for it.
Union Berlin on the other hand comes into this having lost 5 games in a row. The belief and mentality in that squad has taken a hit. Berlin is not playing the worst of football but their ability to score is costing them. David Datro Fofana is a young striker who is on loan from Chelsea. A lot of responsibility is falling on his shoulders to get goals which is big pressure considering he is still only a prospect.
Berlin also has the experience of Bonucci at the back and has to make more of that to fix their defence. They have conceded 22 goals in 10 Bundesliga games which is costing them big time. Napoli are clicking in an attacking sense and that is why we give them a way bigger chance of winning this game on Wednesday at their home stadium.
SSC Napoli vs Union Berlin Predictions and Betting Tips
According to the bookmakers, Napoli goes into this European tie against Union Berlin as major odds-on favourites to win.
Napoli will be expected to dominate this game in every aspect against their German opposition. Napoli will be expected to have the most shots in this game. Rudi Garcia’s side is averaging 13.91 shots a game this season and with Union’s low block, we do expect the likes of Politano and Zielinski to let fly. Napoli to have more than 10 shots in this game is our call.
We also expect Napoli to score first in this game. The Italian side in their last 10 games have scored 1st in 7 of those games. Union Berlin on the other hand has scored first in just 1 of their last 10 games.
In terms of scoring, we expect Napoli to score in this game. The Italian side is averaging 2 goals a game at home this season and Union Berlin is conceding 2 goals away per game on average. Hence, we expect Napoli to score 2 or more goals in this game. We also give Napoli a high chance to keep a clean sheet in this game. In terms of scoring, Union Berlin has scored in only 20% of their games this season. Napoli have kept a clean sheet in 40% of their games this season.
In terms of scoring for Napoli, Raspadori goes in as favourite to score against Union Berlin on Wednesday. The Italian striker has come into his own in the absence of Osimhen and holds a brilliant record of scoring in the UEFA Champions League. Raspadori has 5 goals and 3 assists in his last 10 games for Napoli. The striker will once again go as the favourite to score and with Union Berlin’s defence being in all kinds of trouble, there is a high chance that Raspadori bags a big haul.
For Union Berlin, goals have been a big issue. They have scored only 11 goals in their 10 games in the Bundesliga. Defender Robin Gosens and Kevin Behrens are their highest goal scorers this season with 4 goals each. Gosens is a wingback. It is hard to predict but if Behrens starts then he will go in as a favourite considering he is one of their top scorers this season.
Final Prediction:SSC Napoli to beat Union Berlin
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, D, W, W, L
Union Berlin Player List
Goalkeepers: Fredrik Ronnow, Jakob Busk, Alexsander Schwolow, Yannic Stein
Defenders: Paul Jaeckel, Diogo Leite, Danilho Doekhi, Robin Gosens, Josip Juranovic, Leonardo Bonucci, Jerome Roussillon, Cristopher Trimmel, Robin Knoche
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Rani Khedira, Andras Schafer, Janik Haberer, Aissa Laidouni, Lucas Tousart, Alex Kral, Aljoscha Kremlin, Laurenz Dehl
Attackers:Mikkel Kaufmann, Kevin Volland, David Datro Fofana, Benedict Hollerbach, Kevin Behrens, Sheraldo Becker
Union Berlin Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Fredrik Ronnow |
Goalkeeper |
|
Cristopher Trimmel |
Defender |
|
Leonardo Bonucci |
Defender |
|
Robin Knoche |
Defender |
|
Diogo Leite |
Defender |
|
Robin Gosens |
Defender |
|
Alex Kral |
Midfielder |
|
Aissa Laidouni |
Midfielder |
|
Benedict Hollerbach |
Attacker |
|
Sheraldo Becker |
Attacker |
|
David Datro Fofana |
Attacker |
Union Berlin Team Form(Last five-game): L, L, L, L, L
SSC Napoli vs Union Berlin Head-To-Head
Matches Played:1
SSC Napoli wins:1
Union Berlin wins:0
Matches are drawn:0
SSC Napoli vs Union Berlin Betting Odds
SSC Napoli to win the match (PARIMATCH): 1.44.
Union Berlin to win the match (PARIMATCH): 7.90.
Match to end in a draw (PARIMATCH): 4.70.
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
SSC Napoli
Union Berlin on the other hand has been horrid this season. They have managed to win just 2 of their 10 Bundesliga games, losing 8. They have also lost all of their 3 group stage games in the Champions League. The drop off from last season has been huge as this side is just not able to get results. This game is going to be another difficult one for the German side to deal with. We predict an easy 2-0 win for Napoli in this Champions League game on Wednesday.
Parimatch