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Serie A outfit Napoli welcome Croatian side HNK Rijeka to the San Paolo stadium on Thursday, in the fourth matchday of the 2020-21 Europa League group stage.
In the reverse fixture between the two sides in Croatia, Napoli narrowly edged out a spirited Rijeka 2-1. The home side initially led for most of the opening half before a Diego Demme equalizer and later an own goal earned the Italians the victory.
Gennaro Gattuso's men have four days to recover from their 3-1 home defeat to Serie A leaders AC Milan on Sunday. The Blues were sunk by a Zlatan Ibrahimovic brace at the San Paolo, as an unstoppable Milan extended their dream start to the season.
Rijeka will be playing their first game since the international break, facing the Italian giants for the second time in three games.
The Croatian outfit were lauded for their gritty display at home, but are yet to score a point in the Europa League and find themselves on the brink of elimination from the competition.
All those connected to Napoli will have their greatest-ever player, Diego Maradona, in their hearts and minds. Maradona, who achieved god-like status in the city, died after suffering a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60.
For local lads like Lorenzo Insigne, who grew up idolizing Maradona, Thursday's match will be an emotional moment which they would have wanted to share with their at the San Paolo Stadium. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, no fans will be present at the match.
Napoli vs Rijeka Head-to-Head
The fixture at Rijeka's Rujevica stadium in early November was the only clash between the two clubs in history.
Napoli have struggled recently, losing two out of their last three games in Serie A. That poor run of form has seen them drop to sixth place in the table.
In the Europa League, the Italians earned narrow wins over Real Sociedad and Rijeka while losing to AZ Alkmaar in their opening game.
Meanwhile, Rijeka have also had a shaky start to their season. They ended a four-match losing streak in all competitions in their previous game and sit fourth in the Croatian league.
Napoli form guide (in All competitions): L-W-W-L-W
Rijeka form guide (in All competitions): W-L-L-L-L
Napoli vs Rijeka Team News
Napoli will be without striker Victor Osimhen, who is out until the third week of December with a shoulder injury. In addition, defenders Elseid Hysaj and Amir Rrahmani tested positive for coronavirus and will miss the game as they remain in isolation.
It will be interesting to see if Gennaro Gattuso makes any major changes to his starting line-up from the Milan game, as winning all three points will be vital to their qualification chances.
Injured: Victor Osimhen
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Forward Milan Ristovski is still out for Rijeka with a long-term ankle injury.
Barring that, the away side have their full squad available and will field their strongest lineup in an effort to achieve qualification to the knockout stages of the competition.
Injured: Milan Ristovski
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Napoli vs Rijeka Predicted XI
Napoli predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Nikola Maksimovic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Tiemoue Bakayoko, Diego Demme, Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, Matteo Politano; Andrea Petagna.
Rijeka predicted XI (5-3-2): Ivan Nevistic; Ivan Tomecak, Joao Escoval, Ivan Lepinjica, Hrvoje Smolcic, Armando Anastasio; Franko Andrijasevic, Domagoj Pavicic, Stjepan Loncar; Sandro Kulenovic, Sterling Yateke
Napoli vs Rijeka Prediction
Napoli start as the clear favorites ahead of the game despite an unconvincing performance on the weekend against Milan.
Three teams sit on six points each in Group F. Napoli will aim to a victory to gain an advantage over AZ Alkmaar and Real Sociedad, their rivals in the next two rounds of fixtures.
Rijeka need a win to have any hope of qualifying for the round of 32, but that seems unlikely against Gattuso's men. Rijeka have conceded seven goals in three games while scoring only two, and we expect Napoli to capitalize on Thursday.
Prediction: Napoli 3-1 Rijeka
