Matchday in focus: SSC Napoli 

Napoli travel to Frankfurt with confidence, a wily old coach and a prolific forward duo. History is on Eintracht’s side, however. 

Auf Evan Ndicka und die Frankfurter Abwehrreihe wartet gegen die SSC Napoli ein torhungriges Sturmduo.

Steht seit 2021 an der Seitenlinie in Neapel und derzeit an der Tabellenspitze der Serie A: Luciano Spalletti.

Tactics

Luciano Spalletti likes to play in an attacking 4-3-3 formation. Napoli are the highest-scoring team in the Champions League this season with 20 goals, as they are in Serie A with 56. Chiefly responsible for that are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, one of the deadliest duos in European football. Frank Anguissa, Piotr Zielinski and Stanislav Lobotka provide the stability in midfield, in front of the back four featuring captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and star centre-back Min-jae Kim. Together they’ve formed the strongest defence in the Italian top flight in terms of goals conceded.

Absentees

Napoli are without Giacomo Raspadori due to injury, while Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe remains sidelined for Frankfurt.

One to watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

It’s been an astonishing rise for Kvaratskhelia. Following his move to Naples last summer, the winger has immediately become a key player and a rising star.

Key player and a rising star: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

The 22-year-old has already been named Footballer of the Year in his home country of Georgia twice.
He’s racked up 11 goals and 14 assists in 23 competitive appearances for Napoli.
Kvaratskhelia was voted Serie A Player of the Month last August.
He’s had 22 attempts on goal in this Champions League campaign, the joint fourth-most.

Forward Victor Osimhen.

Head-to-head

Napoli and Eintracht have met twice before. Both legs in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup ended in a 1-0 win for the Eagles.

Key battle: Evan Ndicka vs. Victor Osimhen

Osimhen is the man of the moment in Italian football. The 24-year-old Nigerian has scored nine goals in this calendar year alone, finding the net in all seven games. He’s comfortably in front at the top of the Serie A goalscoring chart with 18 goals.

The Frankfurt defence therefore face a big test. Evan Ndicka hasn’t yet missed a single minute in the Champions League this season. With 38 interceptions, he’s the best Eintracht player in this category together with Djibril Sow and Tuta, and all three are among the top 20 in Europe’s premier club competition. Keeping Osimhen quiet could be crucial to the team’s success.