Napoli – Ajax

The Amsterdam club will put up a fight against Napoli

The first leg of the Champions League group stage was phenomenal for Napoli. All three of their opponents in quartet A were beaten by the Neapolitans. And okay, when we're talking about the defeat of Rangers, but in this case, it was Liverpool and a very happy Ajax. The Germans were the worst-hit when the Italian club rolled over them in front of the Dutch crowd last time round. Napoli took a 6-1 defeat in the first half and ended things in the second half after Tadic had been sent off. Another successful match saw Napoli top the group with a maximum of nine points. Liverpool are three points clearer and Ajax have three more. Bookmakers have identified the home side as clear favourites for the upcoming match, with odds of around 1.60 to win. After a fight a week ago, Napoli were to travel to Cremona for a Serie A match against Cremonese. Up until the 76th minute, with the scoreline at 1-1, Spalletti's men tried to tip the scales in their favour before Simeone netted the visitors' second goal and Lozano and Oliveira sealed the 4-1 win. With another win, Napoli consolidated at the top of the Serie A standings, but with four pursuing clubs just one win away. From early August to mid-September, Ajax were no less cool and perfect than their upcoming opponents. But after a seven-match winning streak, the Amsterdam side lost once each in the Eredivisie and the Champions League before going down the drain, losing points in both tournaments once more. The previous league game against Volendam was fairly straightforward for Ajax but, with the scoreline 3-0, the team mentally travelled to Naples, conceded twice and narrowly missed out on points. The Dutch champions will not be helped in the upcoming match by Tadic, who was suspended a week ago, but Schroeder's men should draw lessons from the collapse in that game. Ajax narrowly missed out on points at Anfield, losing modestly to Liverpool 1-2. Nor should they be written off in Naples, where the visitors will be desperate to get a result. We'll bet on a win for the Amsterdam side with a handicap (+1.5).