Both on the end of four-goal defeats last time out, Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt will look to get their Champions League campaigns back on track when they meet at Stadio Maradona on Tuesday.
Goals should be guaranteed, as all of Frankfurt’s three games so far have finished 5-1, while only one of Die Adler’s last 68 European matches have finished scoreless.
Match preview
Napoli have never gone past the last eight in UEFA’s top competition, while head coach Antonio Conte has a modest personal record, so Serie A‘s Scudetto holders are desperate to go deep this season.
However, not much has gone to plan so far: having lost their captain to an early red card in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, they then got off the mark by edging out Sporting Lisbon in Naples.
Despite taking the lead on matchday three, the Italian champions went down to 10 men again, and even though talisman Scott McTominay scored twice they were hammered 6-2 by PSV Eindhoven.
Since that chastening setback, Conte’s men have recovered somewhat, reclaiming top spot in Italy by beating title rivals Inter Milan before ekeing past lowly Lecce at Via del Mare.
On that occasion, Frank Anguissa’s second goal in as many games split the sides, but only after penalty specialist Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saved a spot kick – and the Serbian stopper was called upon again at the weekend.
Though Napoli’s 100% record at the Maradona was ended by Saturday’s goalless draw with Como, Milinkovic-Savic cleared up his own mess after felling Alvaro Morata, duly saving the Spanish striker’s penalty.
Still unbeaten in Campania this season, the Partenopei have also lost just once across their last 18 Champions League home matches – to Real Madrid two years ago – while winning 11.
Eintracht Frankfurt feature among that list of successes, having lost 2-0 to Napoli en route to exiting the 2022-23 Champions League. Previously, the clubs also faced off at the last-16 stage of the UEFA Cup, when the German side won both legs back in 1995.
This time, Die Adler will fly south in dire need of a positive result, following their haphazard start to the current campaign.
After achieving their best-ever Bundesliga placing by finishing third last term, Frankfurt now sit sixth, following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with rock-bottom Heidenheim.
That followed last week’s DFB-Pokal penalty shootout loss to Borussia Dortmund, which ended dreams of winning a sixth domestic cup.
Furthermore, Dino Toppmoller‘s side have conceded 25 times in their last eight games, including successive 5-1 defeats in the Champions League.
Having beaten Galatasaray by the same scoreline on the opening matchday, Eintracht have since been thumped by Atletico Madrid and ailing English champions Liverpool, with the latter taking place on home turf.
While Toppmoller’s men have also won none of their last three away fixtures, they always pose a threat: Frankfurt have scored at least twice in eight of their 14 games this season.
Napoli Champions League form:
L W L
Napoli form (all competitions):
W L L W W D
Eintracht Frankfurt Champions League form:
W L L
Eintracht Frankfurt form (all competitions):
L D L W L D
Team News
Just when Napoli’s extensive injury list seemed to be clearing, Billy Gilmour came off with a muscular problem during the draw with Como, bringing his fitness for Tuesday into some doubt.
Nonetheless, the man he has been covering for, midfield fulcrum Stanislav Lobotka, was back on the bench, while key defender Amir Rrahmani made his first start for two months.
After much shorter layoffs, McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund recently returned to action, so only Belgian legends Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne are sure to join goalkeeper Alex Meret on the sidelines.
Following his red card in Eindhoven, misfiring striker Lorenzo Lucca must serve a suspension, so Hojlund – who has scored seven goals in eight Champions League appearances – should start up front.
However, the latter’s younger brother Oscar Hojlund is set to miss out on a family reunion due to a thigh problem, and Can Uzun limped out of Saturday’s game against Heidenheim.
Vastly experienced playmaker Mario Gotze could replace Uzun in Naples, while Fares Chaibi – who leads the Bundesliga’s assists chart with five so far – offers another creative spark.
They will provide a supply line for one central striker: either Elye Wahi or in-form Jonathan Burkardt, the latter of whom has scored six goals in his first eight league games for the club.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Hojlund, Neres
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Zetterer; Kristensen, Koch, Theate; Doan, Larsson, Chaibi, Brown; Gotze, Knauff; Burkardt
We say: Napoli 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
While Napoli are notoriously tough to beat on home turf, Frankfurt have won just one of their last six games and have a very dubious defence.
So, after steadying the ship in recent weeks, the hosts can claim three points to put their Champions League challenge back on track.
Napoli vs Frankfurt – prediction, team news, lineups,
Champions League | League Stage,
04 November 2025
