On October 3, Real Madrid will play Napoli in a crucial Champions League matchup, marking Carlo Ancelotti's first meeting with his former team since he left the club in 2019. Napoli is the defending champion of the Serie A.
With a late goal from Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos avoided an embarrassment in their Champions League opener against Union Berlin.
Napoli won their first game of the competition, 2-1 away at Braga,
but the club is still in the middle of a controversy because of a social media video that appears to mock star striker Victor Osimhen.
Key Players: Osimhen Vs. Bellingham
In his position as a striker, Osimhen is considered to be among the best in the world.
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Osimhen: Ancelotti Wary Of ‘Very Dangerous Player’ | Credit: Goal.com[/caption]
The Nigerian international scored in Napoli's 4-1 win at Lecce last weekend after coming off the bench.
The forward and winger Kvicha Kvaratskhelia were singled out by Ancelotti as the players most likely to cause problems for his team.
Ancelotti told Real Madrid official website,
“They are very good forwards who have really broken out in the last year, they have demonstrated their quality and shown they are top-level players”.
“They have amazing talent with different characteristics. Kvaratskhelia is very strong one-on-one and Osimhen is very dangerous,” he added.
On the other hand, since joining Real Madrid in July 2023 from Borussia Dortmund, Jude Bellingham has been a revelation.
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Jude Bellingham has been a revelation. | Credit: @judebellingham | Source: Instagram[/caption]
He is only the second player to score at least six goals in his first seven La Liga matches for Real Madrid this century,
after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
In Real Madrid's Champions League debut against Union Berlin, he scored the game-winning goal and earned plaudits from manager Carlo Ancelotti.
He is also part of the
Ballon D’Or 2023 nominees.
What time does Napoli vs Real Madrid kick off?
This Champions League clash takes place at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy and kicks off on Tuesday, October 3 at 9:00 p.m. local time.
This time, however, is different from other locations such as UK starting 8:00 p.m. BST, Australia (Wed Oct. 4) 5:00 a.m. AEST, India (Wed Oct. 4) 12:30 a.m. IST, and Hong Kong (Wed Oct. 4) 3:00 a.m. HKT.
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Napoli vs. Real Madrid.[/caption]
Napoli vs Real Madrid lineups
Napoli will be missing their starting defense duo of Juan Jesus and Amir Rrahmani, thus Rudi Garcia will likely start Natan and Leo Skiri Østigård as backups. With Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as his strike partner, Osmihen will spearhead the home team's attack.
Possible Napoli lineup (3-4-3, right to left):
Meret (GK) — Di Lorenzo, Nathan, Østigård, Oliveira — Zielinski, Anguissa, Lobotka — Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Ancelotti will be without David Alaba due to injury, although Fran Garcia might return from rest following the weekend's 3-0 win at Girona, and Antonio Rudiger will also be available.
Possible Real Madrid lineup (4-1-2-1-2, right to left):
Kepa (GK) — Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Garcia — Tchouameni — Kroos, Camavinga — Bellingham — Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo
Napoli vs Real Madrid prediction, odds
Both teams have only lost once this season, and the outcomes of their remaining group stage matches will very certainly decide the Group C champions come December. This game appears to be close despite the talent on display, as both Ancelotti and Garcia have problems in their defensive zones.
Rocketparrot's Prediction: Napoli 2 -2 Real Madrid
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