MX23RW : Tuesday, November 5 19:49:27| >> :120:5287:5287:
[monks data]
Napoli logo
Champions League | Playoff Round
Aug 19, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Athletic Bilbao logo

1-1

Higuain (68')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Muniain (41')

Preview: Napoli vs. Athletic Bilbao

Sports Mole looks ahead to Napoli's match against Athletic Bilbao in the final qualifying round of the Champions League.

Napoli will host Spanish side Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier on Tuesday evening.

The match will be both club's first involvement in this season's competition, with the visitors having finished fourth in La Liga last season, while Napoli clinched third in Serie A.

Rafael Benitez could give on-loan Swansea City striker Michu his Champions League debut, while Gonzalo Higuain could also start up front after returning to training last week following an extended break after the World Cup.

The Italian side have been in strong form during their pre-season friendlies, defeating Barcelona and PAOK, while only narrowly losing to Paris Saint-Germain.

Meanwhile, the visitors have not reported any injuries in the run up to the match, but will be playing their first competitive match since Ander Herrera's departure for Manchester United earlier this summer.

Oscar de Marcos and Borja Viguera could feature up front, while Aritz Aduriz has been in good goalscoring form during pre-season, netting a hat-trick against Borussia Monchengladbach earlier this month.

This will be Bilbao's first involvement in the Champions League since the 1998-99 season, when they reached the group stage, while Napoli will be looking to reach the competition proper for the sixth season in a row.

Recent form

Napoli: WWL

Athletic Bilbao: DLLWD

Possible starting lineups

Napoli: Rafael; Albiol, Britos, Andujar; Henrique, Maggio, Hamsik, Jorginho, Insigne; Michu, Higuain

Athletic Bilbao: Iraizoz; Balenziaga, San jose, Laporte, Gurpegi, Iturraspe; Muniain, Rico, De Marcos; Aduriz, Viguera

Sports Mole says: 3-1


ID:171624: cacheID:171624:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3909:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Athletic Bilbao's defender Mikel San Jose celebrates with Athletic Bilbao's midfielder Ander Herrera and Athletic Bilbao's midfielder Mikel Rico after scoring during the Spanish league football match Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic de Bilbao at the Vallecas st
Read Next:
Bilbao brush aside Rayo to close in on CL
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Aston Villa33009
2Liverpool33009
3Man City32107
4Monaco32107
5B. Leverkusen32107
6Brest32107
7Inter Milan32107
8Dinamo Zagreb42117
9Sporting Lisbon32107
10Arsenal32107
11Real Madrid32016
12Lille32016
13Feyenoord32016
14Barcelona32016
15Dortmund32016
16Benfica32016
17Juventus32016
18Atalanta31205
19PSV41215
20Stuttgart31114
21Sparta Prague31114
22PSG31114
23Celtic31114
24AC Milan31023
25Bayern31023
26Girona41033
27Brugge31023
28Atletico31023
29Bologna30121
30Shakhtar30121
31RB Leipzig30030
32Sturm Graz30030
33Salzburg30030
34Red Star30030
35Young Boys30030
36Slovan Bratislava40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!