Napoli will be looking to make a positive start to their Champions League campaign when they visit Braga. The visitors will enter the match following a 2-2 draw with Genoa in Serie A. Braga’s most recent match ended in a 3-1 loss to Farense in the Primeira Liga.
Preview (Braga vs. Napoli)
Braga qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2023–24 Champions League thanks to their third-place result in the Primeira Liga last year. In their first Champions League encounter since 2012, Os Arcebispos defeated TSC 3-0 in the first leg of their third qualifying round match before winning the second leg 4-1 to complete a 7-1 victory. Braga then defeated Panathinaikos in the playoff round with victories of 2-1 in Portugal and 1-0 in the rematch in Greece, demonstrating their strong play throughout this season’s competition.
The Portuguese team will enter the match off the back of a disappointing result, having lost 3-1 to Farense in the league on Saturday. Artur Jorge’s team will also play Union Berlin and Real Madrid in Group C, and they will be determined to make the perfect start to their group-stage season on Wednesday. When Braga last competed in the Champions League group stage in 2010–11, they finished third to drop into the Europa League, where they actually reached the final before falling to Porto. Braga is now seventh in their domestic division with seven points from five games.
Meanwhile, Napoli will enter the game following a 2-2 draw with Genoa on Saturday. With seven points from four games, Napoli is currently ranked fifth in Serie A. The team is in the group stage of the Champions League for the second year in a row. The Blues earned their third Serie A title last season and their first since 1990. The highest result Napoli ever had in the European Cup was a place in the final eight. Rudi Garcia’s team will be hoping to at least reach the knockout stage of the competition this year.
Team News
Sikou Niakate will be out injured for Braga. The host team is in great shape going into their first group-stage match. Together, Bruma and Alvaro Djalo have scored eight goals so far this season. They will once again be included in the starting lineup for the Portuguese team. The 27-year-old Simon Banza has two goals to his credit. He is set to start in the final third.
The only significant surprise in Napoli’s starting XI for this game is the absence of Pierluigi Gollini due to a hand injury. However, the visitors are generally in good shape. Matteo Politano, 30, who scored against Genoa off the bench, might also be a part of the front three on Wednesday night. Osimhen will once again play through the middle, with the excellent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia playing off the left. Piotr Zielinski and Stanislav Lobotka will form a three-man midfield. Leo Ostigard will join Juan Jesus in the midst of the defense.
Braga 1 – 1 Napoli
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