(Football news) The hosts would go to the next round of the competition with a win, a draw, or a one-goal loss. The Italian champions are currently in second place in Group C, three points ahead of third-place Braga. Napoli, who will enter this game on the heels of three straight losses in all competitions—two of which were devastating losses in Serie A—can fairly be said to have had a challenging few weeks.

In Walter Mazzarri’s first game back as head coach, Napoli defeated Atalanta BC 2-1 on November 25. Since then, the team has suffered three defeats, most recently a 4-2 setback to Real Madrid in the Champions League at the end of last month.

After losing to Inter Milan and Juventus in their previous two Serie A games, Napoli is now in fifth place in the standings, 14 points behind leaders Inter. The defending Italian champions have also failed to guarantee their place in the Champions League knockout round.

With five points from five games, Gli Azzurri sit three points ahead of Braga in third place in the group, trailing only Real Madrid. Therefore, based on the head-to-head record, an Italian team’s participation in the round of 16 would depend on a win, a draw, or a single goal loss.

Tuesday might make history for Napoli, who have never lost at home against Portuguese opponents, having won four and drawn two of their previous six Champions League games. This season, Napoli have only drawn and lost at home against Real Madrid and Union Berlin. 

Though a point would guarantee third place and a trip to the Europa League knockout stage, Braga is aware of how difficult it will be to finish second in this group and would need to win by two goals or more in Italy.

While Napoli made it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League the previous two seasons, in 2010–11 and 2012–13, Braga has never advanced past the group stage.

It is a tall order for Os Arcebispos in this game, as they have won three, drawn two, and lost seven of their previous 12 encounters with Italian teams, including one victory, one draw, and four defeats away from home. However, Braga will undoubtedly go into the game in better shape than their opponents.

In fact, Artur Jorge’s team has won its previous two Primeira Liga matches against Estoril and Vizela. As a result, they are now only two points behind leaders Sporting Lisbon in fourth place in the standings with 29 points.

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