Kevin De Bruyne’s homecoming to the Etihad in the Champions League last time out didn’t quite go to plan, as Napoli found themselves reduced to ten men after just 21 minutes, and the Belgian was sacrificed to make way for an additional defender.

De Bruyne watched from the bench as Napoli endured attack after attack, eventually losing the game 2-0. Sporting had a much more positive experience on their return to European football, as they beat Kairat Almaty 4-1 to get off to the perfect start.

If you want more stats ahead of Napoli's clash with Sporting, you can get them from the Napoli v Sporting Betting Stats.

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📂 Napoli v Sporting Cheat Sheet

📈 Napoli v Sporting Form & Tactics

It took just three minutes for Alexis Saelemaekers to open the scoring against Napoli on Sunday night, as Christian Pulisic played a pivotal role in setting him up. The American international then doubled the scoreline after 31 minutes, finishing off an intricate move from The Rossoneri.

With the game drifting away, Napoli were offered a lifeline just before the hour mark, as Pervis Estupinan conceded a penalty and was sent off. Kevin De Bruyne converted from the spot, but his side were unable to breach AC Milan’s defences again and succumbed to their first loss of the campaign.

AC Milan failed to register a single shot in the second period at the San Siro, while the visitors racked up 13 shots worth 2.15 xG to no avail.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute through Luis Suarez, Sporting were able to grind out the victory against Estoril last time out, meaning they have started strongly in their domestic title defence. However, Benfica and Porto have also both started equally as well, and currently have their unbeaten records intact. Sporting are going to have to be efficient this season as they aim to compete on multiple fronts.

📔 Napoli v Sporting Formation & Team News

Napoli

Antonio Conte will have much more of a selection headache for this match, as his captain, Di Lorenzo, is suspended. Additionally, Leonardo Spinnazola, Alessandro Buongiorno and Amir Rrahmani, three more key defensive players, all missed the match against AC Milan this weekend, so it is uncertain whether they will be available for selection midweek. 

Romelu Lukaku remains sidelined with a serious thigh injury, which he picked up in pre-season, meaning Rasmus Hojlund is set to lead the line in the Champions League once again. 

Sporting

Luckily for Sporting, they currently have a very limited injury list - only long-term absentees Nuno Santos and Daniel Braganca are out of contention to start here, meaning we are likely to get a similar lineup to that which won against Kairat.

Captain Morten Hjulmand, who was strongly linked with a move to Man United over the summer, is expected to partner summer signing Giorgi Kochorashvili in midfield. Francisco Trincao has been deployed centrally this season so far, with the tricky Geovany Quenda deployed out wide. Following the departure of Viktor Gyokores and Conrad Harder over the summer for a combined fee of around £70 million, it was expected that Sporting would struggle in the final third, but the goals have continued to flow.

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Keep up with our Football Betting Tips, as well as Champions League Predictions for this week, on Andy's Bet Club.

Check out this Napoli v Sporting Betting Stats for further insight.

For Wednesday's football, we also have a Champions League Accumulator, Monaco v Man City Bet Builder Tips, Barcelona v PSG Betting Tips, and Arsenal v Olympiacos Bet Builder Tips.

There are Both Teams to Score Tips, Player Shots on Target Tips, Player Fouls Tips, and Over 2.5 Goals Acca Tips, too.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.