Napoli vs Sporting CP

A scathing 2-1 loss to ten-man AC Milan on Sunday night saw Napoli replaced at the top of the Serie A table. On Wednesday, Conte’s side and Sporting CP will renew acquaintances in the UEFA Champions League, with both sides seeking to strengthen their positions in the league phase. Remarkably, their only previous meetings came more than three decades ago in the 1989-90 UEFA Cup, where both legs finished goalless before Napoli advanced on penalties. While those encounters were tightly contested, this clash arrives with Napoli carrying strong recent form against Portuguese sides, while Sporting look to overcome a poor record on Italian soil. Napoli’s recent history in Europe against Portuguese opposition is flawless. The Partenopei have won all four of their Champions League meetings with clubs from Portugal, defeating Benfica home and away in the 2016-17 group stage, before repeating the feat against Braga in last season’s group campaign. The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has been a fortress for them in such fixtures, and they will be confident of extending that streak against Sporting. Adding intrigue to this fixture is Napoli boss Antonio Conte’s own history with Sporting. Conte has faced them twice before in the Champions League, both while managing Tottenham Hotspur in 2022-23. Neither encounter ended in victory, with Spurs drawing 1-1 in London and losing 2-0 in Lisbon. Only against Barcelona and Real Madrid has Conte endured a longer winless record in the competition, underlining that Sporting have proven awkward opponents for the astute coach. Conte could keep Rasmus Højlund at the attacking end of Napoli’s 4—1—4—1, having done so in the 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Match Day 1. Di Lorenzo, who picked up a red card in that defeat, is suspended for this fixture.

For Sporting, however, trips to Italy have historically been difficult. They have never won away to an Italian side in European competition, drawing five and losing 13 of 18 visits. Their only clean sheet in this sequence did come in Naples back in September 1989, when they held Napoli to a 0-0 draw. That result remains a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak record, and coach Rúben Amorim will be hoping his side can produce a performance that breaks new ground. The Portuguese champions arrive with confidence after opening their campaign with a 4-1 win over Kairat Almaty. They are aiming to start with back-to-back league/group-stage victories for only the second time in UCL history, having first managed it in 2022-23. A 4—2—3—1 with Luis Suárez in attack is expected against Napoli.