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Napoli logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 18, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
Dortmund logo

2-1

Higuain (29'), Insigne (66')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Zuniga (87' og.)

Preview: Napoli vs. Borussia Dortmund

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Champions League Group F meeting between Napoli and Borussia Dortmund.

The current leaders of Serie A and the Bundesliga will meet on Wednesday when Napoli and Borussia Dortmund clash in the Champions League at the Stadio San Paolo.

The home side, who are under new management this season with Rafael Benitez, invested heavily in their squad over the summer as they prepare for just their second campaign in the group stages of the Champions League.

However, Napoli have not beaten German opposition in any of their last seven fixtures, losing five times and drawing twice in the process.

Dortmund, meanwhile, finished runners-up to domestic rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season. Their record against Italian opposition is not particularly strong, however, with 14 defeats from 27 matches.

As mentioned, Napoli will enter the match sitting atop the Serie A table, having won all three of their league fixtures to date and scoring nine times. Dortmund, meanwhile, have won all five of their Bundesliga fixtures thus far, with 15 points leaving them top of the division.

Benitez could recall Jose Callejon to his starting lineup, while Marek Hamsik is also expected to step back into the team at the expense of Giandomenico Mesto. Gonzalo Higuain, Pepe Reina and Raul Albiol are all due to make their Champions League debuts for the Italian club.

Meanwhile, Dortmund will have both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang available, but Sebastian Kehl is a slight doubt with an ankle injury.

Recent form

Napoli: LWWWW

Dortmund: WWWWW

Possible starting lineups

Napoli: Reina; Cannavaro, Albiol, Armero; Hamsik, Inler, Mertens, Dzemaili, Insigne; Callejon, Higuain

Dortmund: Weidenfeller; Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic, Bender; Sahin, Mkhitaryan, Kehl; Reus, Lewandowski, Aubameyang

Sports Mole says: 1-1


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Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain in action against Bologna on August 25, 2013
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TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


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