Former Napoli, Liverpool and Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez believes that the Partenopei can win the Champions League this season.
Luciano Spalletti’s side aren’t just impressing in Serie A, they were arguably the most entertaining side to watch in the group stages of the Champions League. They did lose one game, but they did score the most number of goals and generated the highest amount of xG across all the groups.
Their Round of 16 clash sees them take on German side Eintracht Frankfurt, who had won the Europa League last season. Benitez spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport about the Partenopei’s chances in the Champions League and he believes that Spalletti’s side have a chance of winning the competition.
“When it comes to favorites in the Champions League, everyone always gives the same names, Real Madrid, Manchester City, etc. For me, Napoli have all the credentials to impose themselves in Europe too. They are confident, they have nothing to lose. they play well, they have a large advantage in the league which therefore won’t represent a great distraction on a physical and mental level.
“They can go ahead in Europe and the more they do it, the more they will grow. And then I know well what the euphoria of a city like Naples means in terms of support for the team. So why not? With this I’m not saying that Napoli will win the Champions League, but only that they can do it.”
Napoli are 15 points clear at the top of the Serie A table, with as many games to go for the campaign to end. Their Champions League group included sides like Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers but they still managed to finish top and the highlight of it was a 4-1 win over the English sides in Naples.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
