Prediction: Napoli vs Manchester City

21st November 2011

Napoli currently sit two points adrift of second-placed Manchester City, meaning that the Azzurri need a victory in this game if they want to pip their rivals to the second place in Group A. The Citizens, on the other hand, would remain in the driving seat even with a draw at San Paolo, although they will try to win the game and thus secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

Napoli surprised everyone by staying in the Serie A title race until the last few rounds of the league campaign, although the Partenopei had to settle for a third-place finish eventually. Club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis made sure to further reinforce the squad over the summer, with players like Gokhan Inler, Blerim Dzemaili, Goran Pandev and Miguel Britos adding a new quality to the side. The Azurri indeed showed a lot of potential at the start to the season, beating title rivals Milan, Inter and Udinese, but they were utterly disappointing against the so-called smaller sides, which is why they now sit in 7th place in Serie A standings. Their Champions League campaign has also been far from impressive, although Napoli managed to avoid defeat at Etihad Stadium. They are now likely to face a much tougher task as City have significantly raised their game since the first time the two teams met, whereas Napoli have won just one of last seven games in all competitions. Coach Walter Mazzarri was happy to see Goran Pandev and Walter Gargano return into action, but Marco Donadel, Camilo Zuniga and Miguel Britos remain unavailable.

Following some under-par performances last season, I have to admit I wasn’t too optimistic about Manchester City’s chances this term, but their showings this season have proved all the doubters wrong, included myself. While the Citizens did improve the squad over the summer, the arrival of Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri was not the main reason behind team’s uptrend in fortunes, but rather the fact that the team have finally gelled. One of the reasons why City have been so impressive this season is that they have been on top of their game regardless of the look of their starting line-up, which proves that Roberto Mancini has finally made this team his own. The Citizens have been in remarkable form over the last few months, winning last nine games in all competitions, and what is even more astonishing is that they scored at least three goals in eight of those nine matches. While Napoli are likely to cause them some problems at San Paolo, I seriously doubt the Azzurri can put a stop to City’s winning run.

Conclusion

If Napoli were at their best they would stand a chance of causing an upset against high-flying City, but considering that the Azzurri are playing way below the expectations, I really can’t see them getting something from this game. Backing Manchester City to record the tenth win on the trot looks like a very good decision to me.

Verdict: Away win Manchester City (2)

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: William Hill