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Napoli

Napoli went 13 years without European football before returning in 2008, since when they are unbeaten in ten games at San Paolo. This season they have beaten Villarreal 2-0 and drawn 1-1 with Group B's standout team, Bayern Munich.

Walter Mazzarri's team have not been scintillating in Serie A, but they were a match for City in the reverse fixture, when Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik all caught the eye of their mega-rich opposition.

Manchester City

Roberto Mancini's charges won a seventh consecutive Premier League game at the weekend. The boss rested some of his international stars against Newcastle United and Napoli should brace themselves to face David Silva from kickoff.

Mancini might know a little of what to expect from the famously fervent fans at San Paolo, but many of his players will not have seen much to compare with them.

Match Odds

Napoli's excellent European home record makes City's 2.06 price look short. The visitors might be storming the Premier League, but their performance in losing 2-0 to Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena highlighted their lack of experience as a team in this competition. Even if they learnt a little when beating a weak Villarreal team 3-0 on their last away day, that win price is hard to justify.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

All but one of City's 12 Premier League games this season have gone Over 2.5 Goals. Ten of them have even passed Over 3.5 Goals. However, they have scored only six times in four Champions League matches so far and their hosts are likely to wait for them on the counterattack.

Napoli's last seven European games at San Paolo have stayed Under 2.5 Goals. The market can't split Over/Under 2.5 Goals and this column is inclined to wait to see the first few minutes of the game before deciding which way to go.

Recommended Bet: Lay Manchester City @ 2.1

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