The Matchday 2 clash in the 2025/26 Champions League group stage between Napoli (Italy) and Sporting (Portugal) will take place on October 1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli vs. Sporting: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Napoli
In the first round, the team suffered a 0-2 defeat away to Manchester City. This ended a nine-match scoring streak for the Italians in the Champions League. Napoli has only one win in their last six Champions League outings (2 draws, 3 losses), and only in the victory did they keep a clean sheet. Furthermore, the Neapolitans have kept a clean sheet in only two of their previous 11 matches in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Napoli's last 6 Champions League matches.
- At home, the team has not lost in 16 of their last 17 Champions League matches (10 wins, 6 draws).
- The club has scored at least one goal in their last 21 home games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Napoli (3-5-2)
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – Miguel Gutierrez, Juan Jesus, Sam Beukema – Leonardo Spinazzola, Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay – Rasmus Højlund, Matteo Politano.
Defenders Amir Rrahmani, Alessandro Buongiorno, and forward Romelu Lukaku will miss the match due to injuries. Defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo is suspended. Defender Mathias Olivera is doubtful for the game.
Sporting
The Portuguese side began the tournament with a 4-1 thrashing of Kairat. This victory was their first in seven Champions League matches (2 draws, 4 losses). Interestingly, this winless streak began after a 4-1 victory as well. Sporting scored three goals in three minutes against the Kazakh side. However, Sporting has conceded in 7 of their last 8 matches in this tournament.
- The Lisbon team has not scored more than one goal in 6 of their last 7 Champions League matches.
- Away from home, the club has not won in 8 of their last 10 Champions League matches (4 draws, 4 losses).
- Sporting has conceded at least one goal in 5 of their last 7 away games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Sporting (4-4-2)
Rui Silva – Georgios Vagiannidis, Gonçalo Inácio, Zeno Debast, Maximiliano Araujo – Morten Hjulmand, Pedro Gonçalves, Jeovani Kenda, Giorgi Kochorashvili – Luis Suárez, Francisco Trincão.
Midfielder Daniel Bragança and forward Nuno Santos are in the team's infirmary. Defender Ousmane Diomande has recovered from an injury.
Referee
Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
Matches – 14 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 54;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 21%.
Napoli vs. Sporting: Match Prediction
Napoli cannot boast good results in the Champions League. In their last six matches in this tournament, the team has achieved only one victory (2 draws, 3 losses). The Italians managed to defeat Braga, which in that tournament edition was notable for scoring fewer goals than only two teams. The match against the Portuguese side was Napoli's only clean sheet in their last six Champions League outings.
The Lisbon team showed excellent scoring ability in the first round, with only Eintracht scoring more. Sporting rarely leaves the field without a goal, having scored in 11 of their last 13 Champions League matches. Moreover, they are not shy about attacking away from home, scoring in 7 of their last 8 matches in this tournament. I believe Sporting will have chances to score against their upcoming opponent, who also has a large group of defenders in the infirmary.
My prediction: Sporting Individual Total Over 0.5
