Napoli will put their 100% start to their Champions League campaign this term in Group A on the line when they step out onto the Amsterdam ArenA to face Ajax on matchday 3 on Tuesday at 20:00 GMT.
Napoli will be looking to bolster their dominance of Group A, whereas Ajax will be looking to bounce back to winning ways after they lost matchday 2 away to Anfield.
Match Preview
Can Ajax Bounce Back to Winning Ways to Bolster their Standing in Group A?
Alfred Schreuder’s men go into the crunch clash with the Italian league leaders on the back of a damaging loss away to AZ Alkmaar and a surprising draw at home to Go Ahead Eagles.
Ajax will look to bolster their form and confidence ahead of this tough examination by Napoli who are on a fine run of form.
Schreuder will focus on the basics that drive Ajax; these include keeping the ball well in midfield, passing fast, and being brave to advance the ball to attacking areas. Ajax will also need to have the right defensive balance to keep a rampant Napoli attack out.
Can Napoli make it three wins out of three in Group A?
After an unbeaten start to their pursuit of the Serie A and the 100% start to their Champions League campaign, Luciano Spalletti can be forgiven for being satisfied with his men. Instead, he has called for concentration and professionalism from his side when they face Ajax on matchday three.
Spalletti and his side will focus on maintaining their intensity away from home and coping with the challenges of playing Ajax at the Amsterdam ArenA.
Napoli will emphasize their defensive shape and keep things solid against a dangerous Ajax side.
Form Guide
Ajax
After triumphing in the opening six matches of the Eredivisie, Ajax have run into a rough path in the last two matches, where they have dropped five points and dropped off the top of the Dutch league.
In their last five Eredivisie outings, Schreuder’s men have collected 10 points out of the available 15.
In this run, they have won against Utrecht (0-2), Cambuur (4-0), and Heerenveen (5-0). However, they lost 2-1 away to AZ Alkmaar and drew at home to Go Ahead Eagles last weekend.
Schreuder will be looking to bounce back from this bad run and bolster their chances of making it out of Group A when they clash with Napoli on Tuesday.
Napoli
Napoli have been almost flawless over their last five Serie A outings; they have won four times and drawn once. This means that they have collected 13 points and dropped two in this run.
Luciano Spalletti’s men have beaten Lazio away from home (1-2), Spezia at home (1-0), AC Milan at the San Siro (1-2), and Torino at home (3-1). The only dropped points in this run came in the 1-1 draw against Lecce back in August.
In their Champions League start, Napoli have beaten Liverpool 4-1 at home while overcoming Rangers at the Ibrox Stadium 0-3 to take command of Group A.
Possible Starting Lineups
Ajax
Pasveer; D. Blind, C. Bassey, J. Timber, D. Rensch; K. Taylor, E. Alvarez; S. Bergwijn, S. Berghuis, D. Tadic; M. Kudus
Napoli
Meret; G. Di Lorenzo, A. Rahmani, M. KIM, M. Rui; A. Anguissa, S. Lobotka, P. Zielinski; M. Politano, G. Raspadori, K. Kvaratskehlia
Players to Watch
M. Kudus
The 22-year-old Ghanaian forward has been instrumental for Ajax this season. He has notched four goals in eight Eredivisie appearances for the Dutch champions while scoring twice in the two Champions League appearances he has made this term.
The forward will be central to Ajax’s chances of taking something from the Napoli clash on Tuesday.
M. Politano
The 29-year-old Italian has had a considerable impact on the Napoli season domestically and in Europe this term. His two goals in eight appearances in Serie A and one goal in two appearances in the UCL have been crucial for Spalletti’s side.
His pace and drive will be central for Napoli on Tuesday.
Prediction
Ajax will seek to dominate possession and play from the back. They will also look for the out-ball to Kudus in the attack when pressed.
Napoli will focus on building from the back and using transitions to hurt the Ajax defense.
Napoli will have too much and will win the match to take all three points.
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