Napoli – Ajax : Preview & Prediction
After a historic 6-1 drubbing in Amsterdam last week, Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti declared that his team “must not lose focus.” Napoli obeyed that order and recorded a 4-1 Serie A win over the weekend, extending their winning streak to eight games in a row and keeping them in the running for a first Scudetto since 1990.
Continuing that strong performance in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) seems likely, especially as Napoli have lost just one home game in Europe’s top competition since the start of the 2017/18 campaign (G8, E3). Despite that home record, they have progressed beyond the group stage just once in three attempts since then, however, Napoli can still secure their presence in the Round of 16 with two games still to play if they can get a win here.
Ajax coach Alfred Schreuder made an honest, but controversial admission that his side is battling with Rangers for a Europa League place after that 6-1 thrashing last matchday. Those words are probably sincere, having conceded six goals at home for the first time in European competition, but Ajax still have two games in which they can seal their passage to the next round in some fashion before their final group game in Glasgow.
After some time to reflect, and a dominant 4-2 Eredivisie win over Volendam, Ajax can perhaps look at some positives ahead of this trip to Naples, including having avoided defeat in 21 of their last 23 away games in the UCL (G11, E10). Cooling that statistic while realizing Schreuder’s inferiority complex is the fact that Ajax are winless in their last five clashes against Italian opponents (E2, L3).
Players to watch: With four goals and three assists in his last five games for club and country, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia can equal his personal record of six games in a row with a goal contribution if he scores or assists here. For Ajax, Mohammed Kudus has scored before halftime in all three of his group stage matches in this tournament.
Weekend stat: Napoli have failed to win in three of their four home matches against Dutch teams (G1, E1, P2).
Napoli – Ajax : Betting Tips
Napoli – Win Odds: 1.45
