Two clubs chasing UEFA Europa League glory will do battle today in a cup match between FC Porto and Napoli. The Round of 16 clash scheduled for 2 p.m. ET will be held at Dragão Caixa in Porto and can be live streamed here.
After going four matches without a win in all tournaments, Porto sacked coach Paulo Fonseca on March 5 and promoted B-team manager Luis Castro for the rest of the season. Despite instability at the top, Napoli manager Rafael Benitez warned that the change make the Portuguese side a dangerous opponent (h/t to Football Italia). “We are facing a top level side and the change of management is always dangerous, as it will certainly influence the performance,” Benitez said. “Hopefully the new man won’t do as well as he did on Sunday, as they won their League game 4-1. Porto are the favorites to win this first leg, because they are on home turf. This club has won a great deal in its history and has few weak points,” he added.
“Hopefully we can score a few goals that can help us in the second leg. The game at the San Paolo will be the decisive one in the tie.”
Both clubs are currently third in their respective league tables, enough to qualify them for next season’s Champions League, but who will land the first blow to advance in this season’s Europa League?
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Player to Watch: Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín has been an unstoppable force since moving from Real Madrid in last summer’s transfer window. The Argentine enters today with 18 goals across league and European competitions.
FC Porto’s Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Helton; Sandro, Mangala, Maicon, Danilo; Eduardo, Fernando, Herrera; Quaresma, Martinez, Varela
Napoli’s Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Reina; Ghoulam, Fernández, Albiol, Maggio; Inier, Dzemalli; Mertens, Hamsik, Callejón; Higuaín
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