FC Salzburg vs Napoli UCL Matchday 3 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview
- Two sides set for their third-ever meeting
- Two teams met in last year’s Europa League round of 16, with each winning their home leg but Napoli advancing 4-3 on aggregate
- With nine goals, Salzburg are the second-highest scorers in this year’s competition, trailing only Bayern Munich’s 10
With both sides registering a win so far in this season’s Champions League, a victory on Matchday 3 would go a long way to advancing either’s quest for a berth in the knockout rounds.
Current Group E leaders Napoli had never faced an Austrian club before meeting FC Salzburg in last year’s Europa League knockout rounds, and sent them home with a narrow 4-3 aggregate win. Now the two meet again on UCL Matchdays 3 and 4, and will have faced each other four times by the time 2019 is all said and done.
FC Salzburg vs Napoli UCL Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline Odds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Salzburg | 0.0 (EVEN) | +165 | O 3.5 (+115) |
| Napoli | 0.0 (-120) | +150 | U 3.5 (-140) |
| Draw | N/A | +280 | N/A |
Odds taken on 10/18/19.
Back With a Bang
Making their first appearance in the Champions League group stage since 1994-95, FC Salzburg are certainly making the most of their time back in the spotlight.
After soundly beating Genk 6-2 on Matchday 1, the 13-time Austrian champions were narrowly edged 4-3 by reining European champions Liverpool last time out. Their nine goals through two games makes them the second-highest scoring team in this year’s competition, behind only the ten goals scored by Bayern Munich.
forty-six! pic.twitter.com/nCvRO8iOVt
— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) October 8, 2019
Their main threat in front of goal so far has been Norwegian Erling Braunt Haaland, whose four goals leads his team, and who became the third-youngest scorer of a Champions League hat-trick behind only Raul Gonzalez and Wayne Rooney.
Fortress Salzburg
The defending Austrian league winners are unbeaten in their last 19 home European matches, and have won nine of their last ten home games, including the last six consecutively.
However, their record against Italian clubs hasn’t been great, with last year’s 3-1 second-leg win over Napoli representing just their fifth win against an Italian team in their 16th game against a club from that country.
But they will be hoping to transfer some of their domestic form, where they sit top of the Austrian Bundesliga after ten games, to the European stage.
FC Salzburg vs Napoli 2019-20 UCL Statistics
| 2 | Wins | 1 |
| 1 | Losses | 0 |
| 0 | Draws | 1 |
| 9 | Goals For | 2 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 0 |
| 36 | Total shots | 28 |
| 75% | Passing percentage | 86% |
| 40% | Possession | 54% |
Sitting Pretty
Napoli began their campaign with an impressive 2-0 home win over defending champions Liverpool on Matchday 2, before following that up with a goalless draw at Genk. As a result, the Italians sit atop UCL Group E with four points.
However, the club has had trouble getting out of the group in recent years. While this is Napoli’s sixth time in the group stage, they’ve only qualified for the knockout stages on two occasions, both times losing in the round of 16.
Bad Travellers
While they may be top of Group E, Napoli have had a poor road record of late in the Champions League, failing to win in eight consecutive away games, and picking up just two road points in last season’s group stage.
On top of that, they’ve won just five of their last 16 Champions League games, and things aren’t much better domestically, with Napoli currently sitting in fourth in Serie A, six points adrift of leaders Juventus.
Pick: Napoli to win +150
For the last 20 years, Paul Attfield has worked in sports media. Starting out in his native Britain with the likes of The Independent, he eventually switched continents, with his work appearing in the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Yahoo Sports since.
