In the 1/8 finals of the Champions League, the Italian “Napoli” will meet with the German “Eintracht”. Despite the fact that these two clubs can hardly be attributed to the giants of world football, the duel promises to be quite interesting. The Italian club took first place in its group, leaving Liverpool behind, and Eintracht got their ticket to the playoffs not without difficulty only in the last round of the group stage.
Love to bet on football with Mostbet.apk? The clash between Napoli and Eintracht is great for predicting and making good profits. There is a clear favorite in this match, but will the Italians be able to get past their counterpart so easily? Let’s deal with this issue.
Napoli’s path to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League
Napoli will play Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16 of the 2022 Champions League next year. The Serie A leaders are aiming to reach their first quarter-final and have a pretty good chance of success. Domestically, Napoli are six points clear of their closest pursuer. In the Champions League, the Italian club’s only defeat of the season came in their last game against Liverpool, which saw both clubs score 15 points each, but the Italians finished in first place by a wide goal margin. Unlike the vast majority of Round of 16 contenders, Napoli have relatively few players who will arrive at the club exhausted after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Italy, Nigeria and Georgia failed to qualify.
The Nepolitans confidently started the group stage with an unexpected victory over Liverpool with a score of 4:1. Then the Napoli players went to Scotland, to visit the Rangers, where they scored the second defeat (0:3). In the 3rd round of the group round, the Italians played in the Netherlands against Ajax and inflicted a crushing defeat on the opponent with a score of 1:6. In the home game against Ajax, the Neapolitans scored 4 goals and conceded two. In the 5th round, the fifth victory at the Rangers (3:0) followed. In the final match against Liverpool on Merseyside, the Napoli players stumbled 0:2.
Eintracht’s path to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League
Frankfurt is a slippery opponent. On paper, the German club can be fairly easy targets for the mighty Napoli, but the club has proven time and time again that when it comes to European fixtures, they are always worthy opponents. In the 2021-22 Europa League play-offs they beat Betis, Barcelona, West Ham and Rangers, drew against Tottenham Hotspur and also beat Marseille and Sporting CP in the League group stage champions this year. Frankfurt are currently fifth in the Bundesliga with seven wins, two draws and four losses.
Einreicht started their Champions League journey with a 0-3 home defeat to Sporting CP. In the 2nd round, a guest victory over Marseille (0:1) followed. In matches against Tottenham, the German club managed to get a dry draw at home, and lost 3-2 away. In the remaining two matches, the Germans needed only victories, and they were able to complete them. Initially, Marseille was defeated with a score of 2: 1, and in the final round of the group round, Eintracht in Portugal turned out to be stronger than Sporting (1: 2).
Odds for the match “Napoli” – “Eintracht”
Eintracht Frankfurt qualified for the Champions League by winning the Europa League last season. They performed well, finishing second to Spurs in Group D. Napoli topped Group A on goal difference, ahead of Liverpool.
The only team to make their Champions League play-off debut this season, Eintracht have been given the unenviable task of finding a way to stop Napoli. The Europa League champions have overcome many challenges over the past 12 months, but the challenge may be beyond their capabilities.
Bookmakers consider the Italians to be the clear favorite of the confrontation:
- Access to the 1/4 finals of Napoli – coefficient 1.37.
- Access to the 1/4 finals of “Eintracht” – odds 3.10.
Napoli’s group stage top scorer this season has looked almost unstoppable and now it looks like they’ve got a place in the quarter-finals even before the match against the German side. The only thing that can stop them is the upcoming break in the World Cup. However, if the Neapolitans can pick up where they left off before the World Cup break, they should be reckoned with as one of the favorites to win the Champions League.