Shaken by the loss of the invincibility and the leadership in the Italian League, Napoli tries on Wednesday, December 6, a reaction that leads him to qualify for the eighth-finals of the Champions League of the 2017/2018 season. He will face Feyenoord at 17:45 (GMT) at the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam.
The teams are in Group F, which has Manchester City ranked and guaranteed in first place with 15 points. The second wave is between Shakhtar, who has nine points, and the Neapolitans, who added six. Without being able to score, the team of the Netherlands is out of the fight.
Feyenoord’s recent performance
Current Dutch champions Feyenoord sign that he will not be able to defend his title. It occupies a modest fifth place in the Eredivisie edition 2017/2018. He has 25 points (seven wins, four draws and three losses). Already they are 14 points less than the PSV, leader. Fruit of a disastrous beginning of season.
In the last two games, however, Feyenoord showed improvement in both the quality of football and the results. He went through Groningen, went 2-0 to home, and then on Saturday, December 2, he scored 1-0 at Vitesse.
Without any interest in Wednesday’s match, coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst can take advantage of the game to take his team to the next level and promote technical and tactical experiences aimed at a reaction that allows him to at least dream of reaching the Champions League once again of Europe through the Dutch Championship. He most likely will not be able to count on the defenders Botteghin (five games in the current Eredivisie season, no goal) and Ridgeciano Haps (11 games, no goal); and midfielder Jan-Arie van der Heijden (six games without a goal).
The current form of Napoli
Napoli’s impeccable campaign in the Italian League suffered a double shock in the fifteenth round. On Friday, December 1, at home, he was beaten by Juventus 1-0. He lost the unbeaten record of 14 matches in the tournament. The complement of the disappointment came on Sunday, December 3, when, in Milan, Internazionale thrashed Chievo 5-0.
In this way, the Neapolitans were overcome by losing the first position. They’re still in the title fight. With 38 points (12 wins, two draws and a loss) they were just one point behind Inter. But Juve, 37, slipped into the fray.
To try and cheer up the fans with the qualification for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, coach Maurizio Sarri’s team needs a combination of results. He must, necessarily, defeat Feyenoord. That alone, however, is not enough. It still needs Manchester City to defeat Shakthar Donetsk in Ukraine.
This is not an impossible situation. On the contrary. Both results can be considered the most likely. However, it remains to be seen whether City, already ranked first and having the classic against Manchester United in the next round, will play with the necessary provision to add three more points.
Unable to interfere in this situation, coach Sarri has only two casualties for Wednesday’s match. Defender Faouzi Ghoulam (11 matches in the 2017/2018 Italian League, two goals) and striker Arkadiusk Milik (three matches, one goal) are handed over to the medical department.
History of the bouts between Feyenoord and Napoli
The Neapolitan 3-1 victory in the first round of the 2017/2018 Champions League was the first match involving the teams.
Technical quality is not a problem for Napoli. The team has players able to print their style of play even in the visiting field and therefore should be considered the best betting option. They are priced at 1.27 in Rivalo. Draw presents prize of 5.70. Dutch victory multiplies the investment by 10.00.
