Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt will settle their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday. While the odds are stacked against the Germans, who visit the Maradona down two goals and without their top goalscorer, both sides will be eying their first ever Champions League Quarterfinal.
SSC Napoli
Napoli responded well to their second league defeat of the season, comfortably beating Atalanta 2-0. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored what was arguably the goal of the season, bringing his league total to 11 goals, to go along with nine assists. Victor Osimhen was frustrated to have not bagged his 20th league goal, but assisted Kvaratskhelia on the winner.
With Inter, Milan, Lazio, Roma and Atalanta all dropping points, the Partenopei extended their lead over their nearest rival to 18 points, while pulling even further away from all the rest. Though Luciano Spalletti seems determined to play his best XI until his opponents cannot mathematically catch Napoli, the large gap affords Spalletti the opportunity to rotate more in Serie A. With his best players fit and rested, Napoli could legitimately make a deep run in Europe’s premier competition, but first they need to see the job through against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt have been reeling somewhat since their 0-2 defeat to Napoli in February. After taking only two points from their last three matches, the Eagles find themselves in 6th position in the Bundesliga table. Yet, they remain only five points behind RB Leipzig, Union Berlin and SC Freiburg, who are all vying for Champions League qualification.
Oliver Glasner made it clear in his pre-match press conference that, despite the two-goal deficit, his intention is to advance to the Quarterfinals. However, he’ll have to do it without two of his top three goalscorers. Randal Kolo Muani (suspended) and Jesper Lindstrøm (injured) have combined for 25 goals and 18 assists in all competitions.
Glasner will also be missing a portion of his usual traveling supporters after local authorities banned residents of Frankfurt from attending the match, citing safety concerns. Perhaps Glasner can use the key absentees (both players and fans) to motivate those who will be in attendance.
Injuries/Suspensions
Luciano Spalletti recovered three of the four players who were in doubt for this match. Hirving Lozano recovered from a muscle resentment that kept him out of the match against Atalanta on Saturday. Alex Meret was also kept out of the Atalanta match (for precautionary reasons) after experiencing discomfort in his wrist during warmups. Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae was forced to exit the match due to a calf injury, but all three will be available on Wednesday. Giacomo Raspadori is close to recovering from a thigh injury but is not expected to return to the squad until the weekend, when Napoli visit Torino.
For Frankfurt, Junior Ebimbe continues to recover from a high ankle sprain that required surgery to repair. Jesper Lindstrøm is expected to be out for approximately three weeks after suffering an ankle injury in training. Meanwhile, Randal Kolo Muani is suspended are being sent off in the first leg. However, Ansgar Knauff is back in the squad after missing the Stuttgart match due to hip problems.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Luciano Spalletti:
“We know the strength of Glasner’s team and he did an excellent job with the team. They didn’t have Kolo Muani against Barcelona either and they still won…We will not underestimate the strength of the Eintracht we will face. Qualification is at 50%, not one point more or less. We are not carrying the 0-2 of the past. We have to replicate that magnificent game played in the first leg. We’ll see if we can win it [the second leg], because it must also be won.”
Oliver Glasner:
“They play offensive gegenpressing, we need quick solutions to free ourselves from their pressure. We weren’t quick in the first leg. We reviewed the game and until the 60th minute they had a lot of ball possession. They always exploited our mistakes so we’ll have to avoid making them. Against Atalanta they scored by stealing the opponent’s time. We need to minimize mistakes in the middle of the pitch, but it can happen at high levels and tomorrow will be a challenge.”
Previous Meetings
| February 21, 2023 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 0-2 | SSC Napoli |
| December 6, 1994 (UEFA Cup) | SSC Napoli | 0-1 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| November 24, 1994 (UEFA Cup) | Eintracht Frankfurt | 1-0 | SSC Napoli |
Match Officials
Head Official: Anthony Taylor
Assistants: Gary Beswick and Lee Betts
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
VAR: Pol van Boekel and Jeroen Manschot
