Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Eintracht Frankfurt FC will host SSC Napoli in the UEFA Champions League 1/8 match at Deutsche Bank Park Stadium. The fixture will take place on Wednesday, February 22, beginning at 01:30 IST.
The Champions League is set to heat up as Eintracht Frankfurt takes on SSC Napoli in what promises to be a thrilling encounter. With both teams boasting an array of talented players, fans are in for a treat as they look forward to the clash. Both teams will be looking to get off to a good start in the knockouts, and this match promises to be a closely contested affair. With so much talent on display, one thing is for sure – this will be a match that you won’t want to miss.
Eintracht have been in great form this season, having secured some impressive victories both in the Bundesliga and in their Eurocup campaign. The team has a strong squad that is capable of causing problems for any opponent, and it has been proven by deeds – the Eagles own the UEFA Europa League 2022/2023 trophy.
But the Germans will be visited by a real phenomenon of this season – Napoli. The Parthenopeans have been literally tearing up Serie A, churning out one win after another relentlessly. And Spalletti’s men are obviously on their way to Frankfurt to pick up all three points. For the Italians, who are in one of their best forms in recent years, the other options are simply not acceptable.
Will the Blues continue their winning streak, or will lads of Oliver Glasner manage to spoil the party? What can we expect this Wednesday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Eintracht Frankfurt News & Current Form:
Eintracht are the reigning winners of the UEFA Europa League, the Germans knocked out FC Barcelona on their way to the trophy. And now they made it to the playoffs of the Champions League, and in the German championship they are also actively fighting for the top-4. In the new season Glasner’s team looks no less, and at times even more convincing than in the past.
After losing at home to Borussia Dortmund FC 1-2 at the end of last October, the Eagles have now won all six of their home games in all competitions. What’s more, the last time the players lost at home in the Champions League was at the beginning of September. However, the German team also have a winning streak in their personal duels with Napoli, as Oliver Glasner’s charges have won two head-to-head encounters, although the last time the opponents met was in 1994.
In 21 rounds of the current Bundesliga season in the asset of Moody Diva there are 11 victories and five peaceful outcomes, which corresponds to 38 points and the sixth position in the standings. But because of the high density the gap from leading FC Bayern Munich is only five points. If not for the defeat in the previous round from FC Cologne (0-3), the situation would have been better. It is impossible not to note the indicator of the attack in the Bundesliga, where SGE differed twice on average, while in the last round they outplayed SV Werder Bremen (2-0) on their own field.
Randal Kolo Muani, who nearly made France the world champion, is confirmed as the team’s main star. The forward scored the most points in the Bundesliga in goal+passes (9+10) in 19 games.
Although Kolo Muani is the standout player in Eintracht’s attacking line, he owes his success in part to the strong supporting cast around him. Daichi Kamada has been a consistent performer and has scored seven goals in the Bundesliga so far this season, along with Jesper Lindstrom.
Daichi Kamada, Frankfurt midfielder:
“We’ll be playing against Napoli and they’re the strongest team in Serie A. They’re playing good football, so I believe it will be a difficult game. Still, just like last year when we became the UEFA Europa League winners, we are confident that we can beat Napoli and we’re preparing for the game with the belief that we can win.”
“Personally, I’ve always wanted to play in the Champions League. I’m already 26, and one thing I want to do is to continue playing in the Champions League every year. In this first season for me, I have been making a personal impact in my first Champions League plus I think it is fantastic the team has made it to the round of 16.”
Mario Götze, while not a prolific scorer, is a crucial component of Oliver Glasner’s strategy due to his vision and technical prowess. The recent arrival of Phillip Max on loan during the January transfer window adds another dimension to Eintracht’s attacking options. The strong performances of the starting forwards have meant that last year’s hero of the Europa League, Rafael Borre, has had to settle for a backup role this season.
Dina Ebimbe, Sebastian Rode and Marcel Wenig, who fractured his ankle, will not be able to play in this match.
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Napoli News & Current Form:
The Neapolitans are having a great season, which will surely go down in the history of the club as one of the most successful. The club is leading the Italian championship, and with a confident margin, to be exact, 15 points to FC Inter Milan. Analysts have already calculated the probability of a championship for Luciano Spalletti’s team – an incredible 99.5%. The fans have been waiting for a Serie A title since 1990.
The Azzurri have scored 20 wins and two clear-cut goals in 23 rounds, corresponding to 62 points and first place in the standings. It is impossible not to mention the best results in Italy in defense, with the attacking side’s performance of 56 goals scored.
In the Champions League, the team from Italy also intends to succeed. Recall that they won Group A, beating Liverpool FC thanks to a resounding victory in the first round with a score of 4-1.
Prior to this meeting, the visitors won five games in a row, conceding only once. Their recent results include victories over US Cremonese (3-0), AC Spezia Calcio (3-0) and US Sassuolo (2-0).
Two Napoli players at a time are at the top of the Serie A scoring charts: Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. In 18 games the Nigerian scored 21 points (18+3) and the Georgian midfielder scored 19 (10+9). Napoli in the championship at home feels very cool and can even relax a little in Serie A matches, so big is the gap from the nearest pursuer.
Today Giacomo Raspadori will not be able to help his team, he has a hip injury.
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Eintracht Frankfurt form guide: D-D-W-W-L-W
Napoli form guide: D-W-W-W-W-W
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli Head-To-Head Record:
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Draw | Napoli |
| 2 | 0 | 0 |
- November 24, 1994: Eintracht Frankfurt 1 – 0 Napoli (UEFA Cup);
- December 7, 1994: Napoli 0 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt (UEFA Cup).
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli Predicted XI:
Eintracht Frankfurt’s possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Trapp; Smolcic, N’Dicka, Tuta; Buta, Kamada, Sow, Max; Lindstrom, Gotze; Kolo Muani.
Napoli’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rrahmani, Rui; Lobotka, Anguissa, Zielinski; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
Statistical preview of the match Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli:
- Napoli can boast a +1.06 expected goal difference per 90 minutes, while for Eintracht this indicator equals +0.28.
- Napoli have won their last 7 matches.
- Eintracht are unbeaten in 10 of its last 12 matches.
- Eintracht have scored in 16 of their last 18 games.
- Eintracht have conceded an average of 1.20 goals per game in its last 5 games.
- Napoli have conceded an average of 0.20 goals per game in their last 5 games.
- Napoli are scoring an average of 2.40 goals per game in their last 5 games.
- Napoli have maintained a clean sheet in their last 3 games.
- Napoli have managed to score at least 1 goal in their last 7 games.
- In the last 5 games Eintracht scored an average of 2.00 goals per game.
- Eintracht are competing in the Champions League for the first time in history.
- Eintracht Frankfurt have won five games in a row at home.
- Eintracht’s First XI average age is 26.2 yrs.
- Napoli’s First XI average age is 27.3 yrs.
What has been said before the match:
Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner ahead of the Wednesday match against the Italians:
“We have an extraordinary game ahead of us. Our goal is clear: get ahead! Both clubs have very good and stable teams. A full house, great atmosphere, two teams in very good form – that’s the way it should be.”
“Napoli cannot be reduced to their attack alone. They have an excellent balance and concede few goals. They played an exceptionally good group stage. They have high intensity, play very aggressively against the ball, with high pressing and incredibly intensive counter-pressing. We know that and have prepared for it.”
“We know Napoli’s 4-3-3 from the Europa League and have shown that we can be compact and dangerous at the same time. It is important to act as one and, at the same time, keep the opponent busy in defense. We thought about giving the players emotional input, but we didn’t. The boys are hot as fries anyway.”
Luciano Spalletti, coach of Napoli, expressed his expectations about the Champions League game:
“We must approach matches without losing concentration, sometimes the head automatically thinks about the advantage we have but we must not allow it. We have to approach every game as if it were the decisive one to go and dream. This attitude of tackling them as a single game makes the difference, it gets us used to being on the ball in the away games.
“Eintracht? They are a very strong team, with very fast players. They defend well, they’re a team used to playing single games. That means they are more used to playing in or out games than we are. They won the Europa League and kept almost the whole team: that’s a little bit similar to what we are trying to do.”
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli Prediction:
Napoli arrive in Frankfurt am Main city in the status of favorites, right now the Italian club is in terrific form, smashing everything in their path, making it certain they will be able to get past Eintracht. However, the return leg in Naples is still to come and that is where everything will be decided. Until then, the teams will try to take a closer look at each other, keeping the risks to a minimum. Therefore, we can hardly expect a goal-scoring extravaganza here. And the German team shouldn’t be written off – they’re good at home, plus they know perfectly well that it will be incredibly difficult for them on the road. The Eagles will try to put up a good fight, but it’s unlikely they can beat the Neapolitans.
So, we expect a low-scoring encounter in which Napoli can at least avoid losing. The logical outcome looks to be either a win for the visitors with the minimum score difference or a draw.
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Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: Napoli will not lose + Total Under (3.5) – Yes.