Napoli’s Predicted Line-up Against Leicester in the Europa League

Napoli takes on Premier League’s Leicester City in a decisive Europa League battle tonight. Here’s what to expect from Luciano Spaletti’s line-up for tonight.

Qualification calculation for Napoli

The group phase of the Europa League is nearing its climax. Qualification from Group C will be decided on Thursday night when Napoli hosts Leicester City at Stadio Maradona.

The Foxes will finish in first place if they win, or both last games are tied. However, they can also still progress with a loss. To be guaranteed a place at the knockout stage, the Serie A team must win three points tonight.

Only two points separate the first and last places in Group C. Napoli is just one point behind their matchday visitors ahead of the final 90 minutes. The Partenopei could still be dependent on the result in Warsaw where Legia faces Spartak Moscow. This is also the time when their clash with Leicester takes place.

If Napoli wins, it is certain that Spartak will not qualify. This is especially important because the eight Europa League runners-up will be playing in the playoffs next February against the eight Champions League third-placed teams.

Napoli’s recent form

It is a high-stakes game as Luciano Spalletti’s men receive their English counterparts on the home group. A remarkable home record in recent months was shattered by Atalanta on Sunday when the free-scoring visitors left with three points.

Spalletti sent out an unplanned lineup, which had been decimated by injuries. Napoli, however, did well to push the Bergamaschi to the finish line, but fell short of the goal in a 3-2 loss.

After a terrific, winning start, Gli Azzuri have now only four points from their four league matches. They have been pushed from the top of Serie A, and now they are looking at the Milan clubs for a new opportunity.

Napoli was also defeated by Spartak with a score of 2-1 during their initial dip of form. This affected the team’s prospects for qualification.

One of their seven Group C points was gained on the opening night. A Victor Osimhen inspired comeback helped the Azzurri to salvage a draw against this week’s opponents. A repeat result won’t be enough to ensure qualification, a win is all that will suffice.

Although Napoli has a clear task ahead of them, Leicester might be more comfortable taking things slow, since even a draw could see them through. The Foxes will still be able to avoid a tie with one of the Champions League dropouts, but that should not stop them from aiming for maximum points in Naples.

Predicted line-ups

Napoli: Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus; Malcuit, Demme, Zielinski, Rui; Lozano, Mertens, Politano

Leicester: Schmeichel; Castagne, Evans, Soyuncu, Thomas; Ndidi, Soumare; Perez, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy