Preview: Napoli hopeful of avoiding an upset
The Swans considering their recent form should have been no match for a high flying Napoli side which occupies the third position in the Serie A. However much for their stature the Partenopei were tested to their limits when they faced Swansea in the first leg in Wales. The Jacks performed admirably and were unlucky not to have emerged victorious in the first leg.
To Napoli’s advantage, they have a manager who has quite a pedigree in European competitions. The Spaniard has thrice led his teams to European success once in the Champions League and twice in Europe’s second tier competition.
His only successful campaign in the Champions League came in 2005 when his Liverpool side dramatically won the competition at the expense of AC Milan after going 3-0 down in the first half. The Spaniard won the UEFA Cup with Valencia in 2004 and the Europa League during his time as the interim coach of Chelsea last season.
His counterpart Gary Monk on the other hand is a managerial novice and will take charge of only his sixth match as a manager and it will definitely be a colossal task for the former club captain to outsmart Rafa Benitez in winning the European tie. Monk was appointed manager of club after former head coach Michael Laudrup was sacked following abysmal performances in the league which saw Swansea record just two wins in the Dane’s last 12 matches as manager of the club.
Swansea’s 34 year old tactician has however made a fairly good start to his managerial career. In his first match in charge of Swansea he guided his side to a 3-0 victory over rivals Cardiff City followed by a draw against Stoke City before losing out to Everton in the FA Cup.
In their last outing Swansea put an impressive showing against Liverpool but it was not enough to secure them any points with Jordan Henderson’s late strike giving the Reds a 4-3 victory.
However a goal on Thursday night could be very vital for Gary Monk’s side. Keeping in mind the result of the first leg scoring an away goal will be vital to Swansea’s chances of qualifying to the next round.
Napoli on the other hand are undefeated in their last five games, but manager Rafa Benitez has expressed his concern and has reiterated that there is something missing from his team’s performances after the Ciucciarelli failed to notch all three points in their last Serie A game against Genoa.
"We should have scored two or three more goals in the first half, which was really so positive," the Spaniard said.
"Now we must understand that we need to kill games like this as soon as possible."
"The team is fine and the season is good, even if we're lacking something when it comes to seeing out games.”
Napoli will be hoping to qualify for the next round after failing to do so last season when they lost 5-0 to Viktoria Plzen on aggregate, Swansea on the other hand will be hoping to make it to the last 16 for the first time in their history.
Goalkeeper Rafael who suffered a knee injury last time the two sides met is expected to miss the home tie against Swansea with Pepe Reina expected to start in goal. Jonjo Shelvey made a goal scoring return to the side as he faced former club Liverpool during the weekend. The English midfielder was withdrawn at half time and could be fit enough to start against Napoli.
However there will be no return for Spanish international Michu who has been missing since December due to an ankle injury. In his absence Ivory Coast international Wilfried Bony has done an exceptional job in leading the line for the Swans and his brace against Liverpool took his tally to 19 goals in all competitions this season.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Napoli vs Swansea live on Thursday, February 27, 2014:
In Canada at 13:00 ET on Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet West
In UK at 18:00 GMT on ITV 4
In US at 13:00 ET on SiriusXM FC, Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Sports 1 USA
Fans in Australia can catch the action live on Setanta Sports Australia
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Napoli vs Swansea match page.
