Serie A leaders Napoli continue their Europa League campaign on Thursday evening, as they look to seal a double over Group C rivals Legia Warsaw at Stadion Wojska Polskiego.
After a late breakthrough helped the Italian club to dispatch the Polish champions on home soil, another win would take them above their ailing opponents to the top of the standings.
Match preview
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Despite their domestic dominance in the opening quarter of the Serie A campaign, it took until Napoli's third Europa League fixture to secure a first continental win, which leaves their progress to the last 32 still very much in jeopardy.
Trailing this Thursday's hosts by five points ahead of the first part of a double-header, Luciano Spalletti's side were still being held goalless in the final 15 minutes at Stadio Maradona, when Lorenzo Insigne struck with a crashing half-volley into the roof of Legia's net.
Following their captain's inspirational intervention, Napoli went on to add two more goals to their tally, and a 3-0 victory brings them within two points of the unlikely group leaders, in a section which also features Leicester City and Spartak Moscow.
Games against the latter pair resulted in just a solitary point from the first two matchdays, as only a Victor Osimhen-inspired comeback salvaged a draw with Leicester, and despite registering the second-fastest goal in Europa League history they then lost 3-2 at home to Spartak Moscow.
That ran counter to their electrifying form on the Italian peninsula, as the Azzurri have won 10 of their first 11 Serie A fixtures to stay locked on points with Milan at the top of the table.
Their latest success was of the scrappy variety, in a local derby with Salernitana on Sunday, when both teams ended with 10 men. It took Napoli over an hour to find a way through one of the league's leakiest defences, as Piotr Zielinski netted the rebound after an Andrea Petagna header hit the bar.
As a result, the Scudetto hopefuls have now won five of their six away matches in domestic competition this term, conceding just three goals in the process. A trip to opponents suffering a crisis of confidence, then, should hold few fears for Spalletti and company on Thursday.
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Having recorded a second successive 1-0 win to lead Group C by three points at the end of September, against the odds, Legia Warsaw found themselves in pole position to qualify for the knockout rounds.
However, their late collapse in Campania leaves them vulnerable to the three other sides competing for their Europa League survival - particularly should they fail to reverse an awful run of form on Thursday.
Crowned Polish champions for the second year in a row last spring - their fifth title in six seasons and a record-breaking 15th in all - Legia's latest defence of the Ekstraklasa crown has started in somewhat shambolic fashion.
Following 11 matches, the Legionisci sit inside the relegation zone with just nine points - a full 19 adrift of leaders Lech Poznan, who have played two more games.
In fact, since their victory against an under-strength Leicester earlier in the competition, Lech are among six sides to have beaten the beleaguered team left behind by former coach Czeslaw Michniewicz, who was given his marching orders last month and replaced by current incumbent Marek Golebiewski.
With their only win last month coming in the Polish Cup, Golebiewski has much work to do if he is to help salvage their season. Given their strong start in Europe, though, an opportunity remains to reach the promised land of the last 32.
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Team News
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Napoli are expected to travel to Poland without star striker Victor Osimhen, after the 22-year-old picked up a calf injury in training which caused him to miss the win over Salernitana.
Head coach Luciano Spalletti is hopeful Osimhen will be fit to face Verona on Sunday, but in his absence, either club record scorer Dries Mertens or the more orthodox centre-forward presence of Andrea Petagna will start as the focal point of a three-man front line.
Goalkeeper Alex Meret and the midfield duo of Eljif Elmas and Diego Demme are likely to return to the side, as they all tend to feature more frequently in Europe than in the league. However, both Kostas Manolas and Adam Ounas are still out of action for the visitors.
The hosts, meanwhile, have long-term injury victim Bartosz Kapustka still out with a knee injury sustained in the summer, while goalkeeper Artur Boruc is struggling with a back problem. Cezary Miszta therefore deputises for the former Celtic stopper as Legia's last line of defence, though young Kacper Tobiasz provides an alternative option.
Up front, Azerbaijan international Mahir Emreli generally leads the line, but Tomas Pekhart and Ernest Muci remain poised to contribute if called upon, with Marek Golebiewski most probably plumping for a 3-5-1-1 formation.
Legia Warsaw possible starting lineup:
Miszta; Wieteska, Jedrzejczyk, Mladenovic; Johansson, Josue, Kharatin, Luquinhas, Guimaraes; Muci; Emreli
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Koulibaly, Rui; Demme, Anguissa, Elmas; Insigne, Mertens, Politano
We say: Legia Warsaw 1-2 Napoli
Napoli can re-establish themselves as favourites to progress, after a sluggish start put them in some trouble before back-to-back games with Legia.
While their margin of victory may not be as wide as many expect - as they could take their foot off the gas if they secure a first-half lead - the visitors are riding the crest of a wave and will not be stopped by a stumbling home side.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Napoli win with a probability of 50.68%. A win for Legia Warsaw had a probability of 27.37% and a draw had a probability of 21.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Napoli win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.36%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (6.87%) and 0-2 (6.72%). The likeliest Legia Warsaw win was 2-1 (6.66%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.57%). The actual scoreline of 1-4 was predicted with a 3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Napoli would win this match.
