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2022/23 UEFA Champions League
Round of 16
Second leg
Napoli v Eintracht Frankfurt
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Naples, Italy
Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Kick-off is at 22h00
Napoli will continue to push for silverware on two fronts when Eintracht Frankfurt visit the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the
UEFA Champions League last-16, second leg on Wednesday, March 15.
The Partenopei are in the driver's seat after claiming a 2-0 victory in the first leg at Deutsche Bank Park on February 21, thanks to goals from Victor Osimhen (40') and Giovanni Di Lorenzo (65').
Luciano Spalletti's side would appear to have the Serie A title in the bag as they hold a 15-point lead over Inter Milan, although a rare defeat to Lazio (1-0) on March 3 halted an eight-match winning streak.
The Naples outfit are looking to progress beyond the round of 16 for the first time in their history after being eliminated at the same stage of the competition on three previous occasions in 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2019-20.
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Meanwhile, the Eagles have dropped out of the Champions League places after winning just two of their last five games in the Bundesliga.
Oliver Glasner's team were beaten 2-1 by RB Leipzig before playing out to a 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg since their European tie and they are 10 points adrift of the league summit in sixth position.
With Randal Kolo Muani suspended for the trip to Italy following his red card in the first leg, Frankfurt will look to Daichi Kamada for inspiration. The Japanese midfielder bagged a goal in each of his last three group-stage appearances and is the club's top scorer in Europe this season.
Victor Osimhen has played a starring role for Napoli in 2022-23, spearheading their Serie A title challenge with 19 goals in 21 games. The Nigerian striker has been limited to just four appearances in the Champions League due to injury but will be looking to add to his tally of two goals on the continent.
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In team news, Spalletti has an almost fully-fit squad at his disposal, with just Giacomo Raspadori (muscular) on the treatment table, while Jesper Lindstrom (ankle), Aurelio Buta (knee) and Eric Ebimbe (ankle) join the suspended Muani on the sidelines for the visitors.
Spalletti praised his players for maintaining that important balance between attack and defence, although he felt they could have scored more than just the two goals in Germany.
"We had a great game and we probably could have scored the third goal as well. But even though we've always been looking for the net, we've never lost our balance. This is a very important aspect," he declared.
Glasner admitted Frankfurt were made to pay for their numerous mistakes in the first leg but took heart from the performance in the opening half-hour of the match.
"We did very well for 25, 30 minutes. But we didn't capitalise on good situations. Then we make too many mistakes of our own, first with corner-kicks and then with penalties," he said.
"We had chances later but Napoli have incredible confidence and deserved to win. We have to acknowledge that we made too many mistakes, especially in possession."
Head-to-Head (Previous Champions League Meetings)
Matches - 1
Napoli - 1
Frankfurt - 0
Draws - 0
UEFA Champions League fixtures:
Tuesday, March 14
22h00: Manchester City v RB Leipzig
22h00: Porto v Inter Milan
Wednesday, March 15
22h00: Real Madrid v Liverpool
22h00: Napoli v Eintracht Frankfurt
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