Zurich – Napoli

Zurich faces Napoli in a first game from the 1/16-finals of the Europa League. Let’s take a look at the first clash between these two teams on Swiss soil on Thursday night.

Zurich qualified for the 1/16-finals of the competition after finishing second in Group A in the company of Bayer Leverkusen, Ludogorets and AEK Larnaca. In this group the Swiss team achieved three wins, made one draw and suffered two defeats. The group was won by Leverkusen, but Zurich finished 2nd and reached the next round.

In the Swiss Super League Zurich are currently 4th in the standings with 28 points and a record of 7 wins, 7 draws and 6 losses. In their last five games in the Super League Zurich won twice, lost twice and made one draw. In their last game they enjoyed a 3-1 win over Grasshopper at home.

Napoli on the other hand entered Europa League after finishing 3rd in their Champions League group. The Italians lost the fight with PSG and Liverpool for progression, which allowed them to enter Europa League. Now their goal is to reach the final and eventually win it.

Until the last game in their group Napoli had the chance to reach the 1/8-finals of the Champions Leaue. Carlo Ancelotti’s boys had to avoid losing against Liverpool at the Anfield in the last round, but it didn’t happen. Liverpool won this game and reached the knockout stages.

In the Serie A Napoli are 2nd in the standings, being only behind the champion Juventus. In their last five matches in the Italian league Napoli are unbeaten – three wins and two draws.

Surely Napoli are the big favourites against Zurich. In the first game on Swiss soil, the Azzurri will try to gain a good result before the second leg at the San Paolo. Let’s see if they can make it.