Manchester City take on the visitors Napoli in the round 1 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, September 18th at Etihad Stadium, Munich.
Manchester City not long ago completed a treble, and in 2024 they once again won the Premier League. They then added the FA Community Shield, but this calendar year they have ended up without any trophies at all. After their record-breaking January signings, the best they managed was climbing to third place in the Premier League — but even then they lost in the cup final. They also fell to Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup. Moreover, despite strengthening with a couple more players and changing their goalkeeper, in the new season Pep Guardiola’s side followed a thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers with defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion. After the break, they crushed Manchester United 3–0 in the derby, with Erling Haaland scoring a brace. Despite that win, City’s defense still looks shaky, conceding easy goals from set pieces and counters. Their recent inconsistency raises doubts about their ability to handle pressure against elite European opponents.
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Napoli are handling their challenges admirably. The Partenopei reclaimed the Serie A title after a long drought under Luciano Spalletti. But seeing his side decline, Luciano resigned — and he was right, as the following season was a failure. In 2024 the club appointed Antonio Conte, and even without departed stars Romelu Lukaku, Piotr Zieliński, and later Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in winter, they managed to return to first place in Serie A, edging past Inter Milan at the finish line. Conte even considered leaving afterward but ultimately reached a new agreement with Aurelio De Laurentiis. Now he faces the task of replacing the temporarily injured Romelu, and only on deadline day did they bring in Rasmus Højlund on loan. Even without him, they opened the season with clean-sheet wins — first against Sassuolo (featuring a goal from new arrival Kevin De Bruyne — how quickly he returns to his old stadium!), then against Cagliari. After the break they beat Fiorentina 3–1 away, with another key goal from their Belgian midfielder. Napoli have shown great tactical discipline and defensive stability, conceding just one goal in their first three matches. Their midfield control and sharp pressing could seriously trouble City’s shaky back line.
In 2011, the Italians took 4 out of 6 possible points. Six years later, the Sky Blues got their revenge — winning twice in a row. The English side are considered the clear favourites. But they may be overrated — we back Conte’s men to win with an Asian handicap of +1.0 goals.
Prediction for the match: Napoli to win with +1.0 handicap.
