manchester city will be hosting Napoli at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night in a game that could see the hosts on the brink of qualifying for the knock-out stages for the third season in a row. Manchester City who currently tops the Premier League table goes in this match after humiliating Stoke City 7-2 on Saturday. The Citizens have been at the top of the game after beating top sides in the domestic league like Chelsea and Liverpool to stay two points above their local rivals, Manchester United.
Napoli travels to England buoyed by the result that they achieved in Rome after beating AS Roma with a slim margin of 0-1 at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
The Naples win means that they've kept 100% start of the Serie A league by winning all their eight fixtures they've played so far. The Serie A league leaders will come face to face with the Premier League pacesetters, Manchester City in a game that will test Pep Guardiola's side strength in the continent.
Talking Points
The hosts are flying high both in England and Europe after starting the season high in all the competitions. After two matches, Manchester City tops Group F table after winning two straight games scoring six goals and conceding none in the process. The Citizens have never won a game against their Tuesday's night opponents in the last two encounters where the Italian club has succeeded in one fixture and drawn against the Manchester outfits in the remaining match.
Marek Hamsik who has been a Napoli player is looking for two goals to overtake his team's record goalscorer, Diego Maradona. The Argentinian legend is the highest goalscorer in the history of Napoli after getting onto the target 115 times during the six years he represented the Italian club. However, Slovakia midfielder who has been at the club for ten seasons is on the verge of equalizing or even breaking the feat Maradona had set since the Slovak is only a goal shy of Maradona's total tally.
Even though having an impressive domestic league campaign, the Naples are acutely aware of the precarious position that they find themselves after suffering a 2-1 in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk. Napoli ties in points with the Ukrainian side with the two clubs also having the same goal differences but the Italian team is second in the group after scoring more goals than the Shakhtar Donetsk.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had his worst his coaching career last season as he went trophyless for the first time. The former Barcelona manager has begun this season on high note recording consecutive victories in all competitions. It's evident that Pep Guardiola wants to make up for the missed opportunity his team had the previous season.
Team News
The two teams are likely to parade their strongest squads after each side recorded victory in the domestic leagues. The fixture comes too early for Vincent Kompany and Benjamin Mendy who are both sidelined with injuries. Sergio Aguero who hasn't featured for his club since getting involved in a car crash in Amsterdam will be available after making it on the team's bench against Stoke City.
Other than the three cases, Pep Guardiola has the rest of the players to select from.
Other than the injured Arkadiusz Milik, Maurizio Sarri has his full house as his side faces the rampant Manchester City in England. The manager who was born in the same city where the club he currently coach exists will try to avoid defeat so that his team can progress beyond the group stages.
Predictions
It's a tough game to call considering that the two teams are arguably the best in Europe as at now after staying unbeaten in their respective leagues. The match is likely to realize a massive number of goals since both sides have players of high attacking prowess. The hosts seem favorites to emerge victorious in the game, but the visitors will at least get a consolation goal.
Manchester City sensational striker Gabriel Jesus is likely to get on the scoresheet on more than one occasion especially after grabbing a brace in his side 7-2 thumping against the Potters. Marek Hamsik will probably score a milestone goal that will see him equalize the club goalscoring record set by Diego Maradona a few decades ago.
Final score prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Napoli
