Former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will be the centre of attention when his new club Napoli arrive for this UEFA Champions League (UCL) matchday one clash.
Match News and Current Form
Manchester City will hope Sunday’s 3-0 derby-day demolition of neighbours Manchester United signals a return to top form after a slow start to the season, providing a confidence boost as they begin their UCL campaign. The Cityzens won this competition in 2022/23 but underwhelmed last term en route to a knockout phase play-off exit, losing five of their last seven games at this level (W1, D1), as many as they had in the previous 61! As manager Pep Guardiola prepares for his 17th UCL campaign, he has a rare losing managerial H2H record against opposite number Antonio Conte (W3, L4).
That might further inspire reigning Serie A champions Napoli, who have started their season off in fine style, winning their first three league fixtures, including an impressive 3-1 win away at Fiorentina on Saturday, in which summer arrivals De Bruyne and Rasmus Højlund (both acquired from Manchester clubs) were on the scoresheet. The Partenopei are back in the UCL after missing out on Europe entirely last season, yet Conte’s wealth of experience in the dugout is set to be invaluable as he prepares to lead his fifth different side in this competition.
Head-to-Head History
Manchester City hold a narrow advantage across four previous meetings (W2, D1, L1), all of them coming in UCL group-stage affairs, while Napoli have never won a European away game in England (D3, L9).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Three of Manchester City’s four games this season witnessed scoring between the 30th and 40th minute.
In six of Manchester City’s last seven UCL fixtures, both teams were on the scoresheet (W1, D1, L5).
Napoli are winless across their last four away games played on a Thursday (D3, L1).
Each of Napoli’s last five UCL fixtures produced an even number of goals (W1, D2, L2).
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Phil Foden opened the scoring for Manchester City on Sunday, and all three of his UCL goals last term also came inside the opening 20 minutes - two of them were also match-openers. De Bruyne, who registered a club-record 25 UCL assists for Manchester City, returns in prime form with six goal contributions (G5, A1) in five games for club and country this term.
Manchester City have no new injury concerns but Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush are among those absent, while Napoli trio Nikita Contini, Romelu Lukaku and Amir Rrahmani missed Saturday’s game.
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Betting Analysis
Napoli’s poor record in England makes it hard to back them for the win, but with the wily Conte in charge, our tip is for them to escape Manchester with a draw.
Author: John Pennington