Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Champions League match.
Napoli’s subdued display at Etihad Stadium against Manchester City (0:2) left the Serie A champions without points after the opening round. Beyond that Champions League setback, the team also want to atone for Sunday’s 1:2 defeat to AC Milan — at home against Sporting, the team should seize the initiative.
Napoli
The loss to Manchester City appeared to expose issues in Napoli’s structure, although an early red card for Giovanni Di Lorenzo influenced the result. Across Serie A matches against Pisa (3:2) and AC Milan (1:2), the defending champions produced 3.43 xG — the fourth-best statistic in that span. At San Siro the team made a poor start, but after the interval it almost salvaged the situation — Napoli conceded no shots over 45 minutes and generated 2.15 xG from 15 shots.
Sporting
In their opening UEFA Champions League outing, Sporting nearly allowed an upset against Kairat (4:1). They reached half-time with a narrow lead after scoring just before the break, then added three more after the restart. Wins over Moreirense (3:0) and Estoril Praia (1:0) tell us little about the squad’s strength — they came up short in both headline fixtures of the campaign against Sport Lisboa e Benfica (0:1) and Porto (1:2). In Naples, Sporting are unlikely to control proceedings.
Napoli vs Sporting Prediction
Both sides have absentees, but Napoli possess the higher calibre of player. Sporting are unlikely to take points in Italy — we recommend backing the hosts to win.
