Swiss Europa League News: Will Zurich Overcome Napoli | Game Odds
This year’s competition sees the Swiss side FC Zurich make their first “round 32” appearance for the first time in just 11 years! Though a first experience for the current crop of team members, will this completion bring the luck they need to make an impact across the large scale of footballing giants?
The task, however, is a tricky meeting with the recently demoted Napoli side which drops out of the UEFA Champion League to compete in the final rounds of the Europa League.
We take a look at both sides that are due to play their first leg tie on February 14th and discuss who could receive a potential early upset thanks to the knowledge of sport betting experts from https://www.sportwettenschweiz.org where you could bet on that game and many more Swiss events.
Key Team Stats:
- First time FC Zurich has reached this round in 11 years.
- Napoli was the highest-scoring team placed in the third spot of the Champions League groups.
- Zurich’s record against Napoli W2, D3, L5
- Napoli has failed to win or score on their previous two visits.
Team Focus:
Following the draw of the Last 32, the Napoli coach, Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that they have great respect for FC Zurich but made it clear that there is a great desire to get through to the next rounds.
It will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Nepalese team, given they were eliminated from the Champions League based on the number of goals scored. So the focus of redemption is to win this Europa League trophy.
The challenges of trophy success are no new thing to the FC Zurich team, having won the local Swiss Cup three times in the past five attempts. Their strengths are clearly that which come from home advantage. The team not having lost a single game at home in the ten games played during the group stages. Their last loss on Swiss soil during this tournament’s history came back in the season of 2011/12 against Sporting CP with a 0-2 loss.
For Napoli, this will be the seventh appearance in this round so come with some assured knowledge of the challenge ahead. This said, having only won the former UEFA Cup back in 1989 only, their away record in the last seven games is unflattering, having only Draw 2 and Lost 4.
Still, despite the obvious form of the two teams, the bookies still see Napoli as clear favorites to win the first leg tie, with them on an average set of odds at 1/2 and FC Zurich at 7/1. Likewise, if you feel that maybe Napoli’s goal ratio is too dominant for the Swiss side.
Current Team News:
FC Zurich has signed striker Nicolas Andereggen on loan and Left-back LavenKharabadze, both of whom are eligible to play in the Europa ties. Going the other way, captain Victor Palsson joined SV Darmstadt.
Napoli has sold striker Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea to meet up with his former manager. Rumors are surfacing about Diawara being sold and also Koulibaly with a 90 million price tag over the defenders head.
Predictions see an FC Zurich win, with Napoli being outdone with counter-attacking play from the Swiss to settle the game 2-1.
2021/22 UEFA Europa League update:
The competition undergoes major changes in its 51st season, the 13th since it was rebranded from UEFA Cup to UEFA Europa League. It is scheduled to run from 5 August 2021 to 18 May 2022. As previously, the eventual winners will earn an automatic place in the following season’s UEFA Champions League group stage.
The group stage will be reduced from 48 to 32 teams – eight groups of four. The eight group winners progress automatically to the round of 16.
There will be additional knockout round play-offs prior to the round of 16; these will be between the eight UEFA Europa League group runners-up and the eight third-ranked teams of the UEFA Champions League groups.
Who will be in the group stage?
10 UEFA Europa League play-off winners
10 sides transferring from the UEFA Champions League play-offs and third qualifying round
1 TBC
11 automatic qualifiers
