The Matchday 2 clash in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League group stage between Napoli (Italy) and Sporting (Portugal) will take place on October 1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli vs. Sporting: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Napoli
In the first round, the team suffered a 0-2 defeat away to Manchester City. This ended the Italian side's nine-match scoring streak in the Champions League. Napoli has only one victory in their last six Champions League outings (2 draws, 3 losses), and only in the winning match did they keep a clean sheet. Moreover, Napoli has managed to keep a clean sheet in just two of their previous 11 matches in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Napoli's last 6 Champions League matches.
- At home, the team has not lost in 16 of their last 17 Champions League matches (10 wins, 6 draws).
- The club has scored at least one goal in their last 21 home games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Napoli (3-5-2)
Alex Meret – Luca Marjanucchi, Juan Jesus, Sam Beukema – Matteo Politano, Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay – Rasmus Hojlund, Matteo Politano.
Defenders Amir Rrahmani, Alessandro Buongiorno, Leonardo Spinazzola, Mathias Olivera, and forward Romelu Lukaku will miss the match due to injuries. Defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo is suspended.
Sporting
The Portuguese side started the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Kairat. This win was their first in seven Champions League matches (2 draws, 4 losses). Interestingly, this winless streak began after another 4-1 victory. It's worth noting that Sporting scored three goals in three minutes against the Kazakh team. However, Sporting has conceded in 7 of their last 8 matches in this tournament.
- Lisbon has not scored more than one goal in 6 of their last 7 Champions League matches.
- Away from home, the club has not won in 8 of their last 10 Champions League matches (4 draws, 4 losses).
- Sporting has conceded at least one goal in 5 of their last 7 away games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Sporting (3-5-2)
Joao Virginia – Georgios Vagiannidis, Goncalo Inacio, Zeno Debast – Ricardo Mangas, Morten Hjulmand, Pedro Goncalves, Geovani Kenda, Giorgi Kochorashvili – Luis Suarez, Francisco Trincao.
Midfielder Daniel Braganca and forward Nuno Santos are in the team's infirmary. Defender Ousmane Diomande has recovered from an injury.
Referee
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Matches – 14 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 54;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 21%.
Napoli vs. Sporting: Match Prediction
Napoli cannot boast good results in the Champions League. In their last six matches in this tournament, they have only one victory (2 draws, 3 losses). The only team they managed to defeat during this period was Braga, which was notable for having scored fewer goals than only two other teams in that tournament edition. The match against the Portuguese side was also the only one in which Napoli kept a clean sheet in the last six Champions League outings.
Lisbon showed excellent scoring ability in the first round, and only Eintracht scored more than them. Sporting rarely leaves the field without a goal, having scored in 11 of their last 13 Champions League matches. Moreover, they are not shy about attacking away from home, scoring in 7 of their last 8 matches in this tournament. I believe Lisbon will have chances to score against their next opponent, who also has a significant number of defenders in the infirmary.
My prediction: Sporting Individual Total Over 0.5
