Napoli dominated against 10-man Copenhagen but surrendered a late equaliser to draw 1-1, with injury absences piling up. Betting angle: back Both Teams To Score and Napoli to score first, but avoid Napoli as a match-winner — a draw or Chelsea to qualify looks a safer option for punters.
Napoli Held 1-1 by Copenhagen as Qualification Hangs in the Balance
Match summary
Scott McTominay once again put Napoli ahead less than four minutes after Copenhagen were reduced to 10 men when Thomas Delaney received a red card. Napoli seemed to be in control, but a second-half strike from Jordan Larsson snatched a 1-1 draw and left the Partenopei 23rd in the group table with one match remaining.
Player reaction
“We should have won that game, it’s unacceptable,” McTominay said after the match. “We should have scored the second and third goals to close out the game, even if it was a difficult surface. It’s really disappointing that we didn’t.”
Injury concerns derail momentum
Napoli remain without several key players, including Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Defender Amir Rrahmani and winger David Neres were also unavailable through injury for the Copenhagen match. The running injury list has forced reliance on substitutes, who have shown promise but have not consistently converted advantages into wins.
What the result means for qualification
With the final group game looming against Chelsea, Napoli’s path to the knockout rounds is precarious. The draw against a 10-man Copenhagen side raises questions about Napoli’s ability to close out matches and handle pressure in decisive fixtures. Improvement is needed quickly if the side hopes to secure a play-off spot.
Betting implications and tactical markets
Napoli’s failure to finish off a weakened Copenhagen and their ongoing injury issues should shape betting strategies. Markets to consider:
- Both Teams To Score (BTTS): likely, given Napoli’s concession despite extended possession.
- Napoli to score first: a viable shorter-term play, given their tendency to start strongly.
- Napoli match-winner: risky; consider draw or Chelsea qualification markets as safer alternatives until injuries subside.
- Handicap and live markets: Napoli’s struggles to close out matches may offer value for in-play hedges.
Outlook
Napoli must tighten defensively and find more clinical finishing ahead of the decisive fixture with Chelsea. The side’s injury woes and recent inability to convert numerical advantage into a win leave qualification hopes fragile and call for immediate tactical adjustments.
Hojlund snubbed Milan before moving from Man Utd to Napoli: the background
Scott McTominay cut a frustrated figure when analysing Napoli’s 1-1 draw against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday night, which has left the Partenopei in 23rd place in the league phase ...
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