benfica v NAPOLI

[getborn]

I covocati per Lisbona: ci sono anche Iezzo e Lavezzi

Questi i convocati azzurri per il match di giovedì a Lisbona:
Iezzo, Gianello, Navarro, Aronica, Cannavaro, Contini, Grava, Rinaudo, Santacroce, Blasi, Dalla Bona, Gargano, Hamsik, Maggio, Mannini, Montervino, Pazienza,Vitale, Denis, Lavezzi, Russotto, Pià, Zalayeta.

[drowner]

Reckon Montervino will start again? I got a feeling Reja will play him once more. I love Montervino. Let's not forget when there was no team, before Napoli Soccer started, he got the 5 or 6 players together, went and bought some bibs and balls with his own money so they could train.

He's a gentleman.

Also, something tells me Edy will start with only one up front, and use someone like Hamsik or Gargano behind the striker. Lavezzi off bench. Maybe?

[El Pibe D'Oro]

Hope he doesnt fark with the team to much.

1-1 is my prediction.

[sweeps]

reckon Napoli will steal a win!
2-1 NAPOLI!

[Napoli]

reckon Napoli will steal a win!
2-1 NAPOLI!

Hope so!! cant wait!!!

Isn't lavezzi injured for a week or so more still?

[El Pibe D'Oro]

No Aimar, no Suazo for benfica.

[Piola]

ammazzare il portoghese

'A città 'e Pulecenella

[born slippy]

reckon Napoli will steal a win!
2-1 NAPOLI!

Hope so!! cant wait!!!

Isn't lavezzi injured for a week or so more still?

they had always said that he should be fit for this fixture but i'm not sure if he'll start though, Denis, Zalayeta will start imo and then if we are chasing the game in the second half you might see El Pocho make an entrance....
also he's taking 3 keepers so that suggests to me that Iezzo is no guarantee to play.... or maybe i'm reading too much into it

and for anyone who is interested contotv.com will be streaming the game, cost about 20 euro or something. my broadband is not fast enough to stream

[Blue Mastiff]

Ezequiel Lavezzi is fit for the trip to Portugal, as Edy Reja warns Napoli want to remain unbeaten against Benfica.

The Argentine forward has been out of action since straining knee ligaments in the first leg, which ended 3-2 at the Stadio San Paolo.

However, he has recovered faster than expected and is in the squad travelling to Lisbon for tomorrow’s UEFA Cup clash.

Goalkeeper Gennaro Iezzo has also made a surprise return to the side after an injury lay-off.

“We are facing a wonderful finish line and want to fly through it,” said Coach Reja ahead of the game that’ll decide whether Napoli enter the UEFA Cup group phase.

“We wanted this European qualification so much, we believed in it and now will do everything we can to continue this dream.”

The club was bankrupt and sent down to Serie C in 2004, but surged up the divisions and reached this phase via the Intertoto Cup.

“It’s a shame that two such prestigious clubs should meet in the first round, as this battle could well have been the Final,” continued Reja.

“Benfica are very strong and will try to make the most of their quality, but we are in good shape, feel secure and confident.

“We’ve had a wonderful start to the season, there is no point denying it, and the results have been thoroughly deserved. We are unbeaten and wish to remain that way come the final whistle in Lisbon.”

Napoli are in second place in Serie A and, along with Juventus, the only unbeaten side in the League.

Their achievement is more impressive, though, as it includes their Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup runs.

It was a tight first leg at the San Paolo that ended 3-2 for Napoli and numerous fans are travelling to Portugal – but they have been banned from attending away games in Serie A for the rest of the season after crowd trouble in the Week 1 clash with Roma.

“I am happy they are going to be there and will certainly give us a hand. It is important for us to have their warmth and extraordinary push. We don’t want to stop now.”

The history books smile on Reja’s men, as Napoli have faced three Portuguese sides in the UEFA Cup and have always progressed to the next round.

They defeated Porto 2-0 on aggregate in 1974-75, Sporting Lisbon on penalties in 1989-90 and Boavista 3-2 on aggregate in 1994-95.

Napoli squad: Gianello, Iezzo, Navarro; Aronica, Cannavaro, Contini, Grava, Rinaudo, Santacroce; Blasi, Dalla Bona, Gargano, Hamsik, Maggio, Mannini, Montervino, Pazienza, Vitale; Denis, Lavezzi, Russotto, Pià, Zalayeta.

[getborn]

Coppa Uefa, Benfica-Napoli le probabili formazioni

BENFICA (4-4-2): Quim; Maxi Pereira, Luisao, Sidnei, Leo; Urreta, Yedba, Carlos Martins, Reyes; Di Maria, Nuno Gomes. Panchina: Moreira, Jorge Ribeiro, Katsouranis, Balboa, Ruben Amorin, Aimar, Vitor.

Aimar has been named, Benfica refuse to rule him out.

NAPOLI (3-5-2) Gianello; Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Contini; Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Hamsik, Vitale; Zalayeta, Lavezzi. Panchina: Navarro, Aronica, Santacroce, Montervino, Pazienza, Denis, Pià .

[Napoli]

I predict a 1-1 draw - Napoli through to the next stage.

[getborn]

UEFA Cup Preview: Benfica – Napoli
What: UEFA Cup, 1st Round, Leg 2
Who: Benfica - Napoli
When: Thursday, 2 October 2008, 21:15 CET
Where: Estadio Da Luz, Lisbon

Much hangs in the balance for both sides at the Estadio Da Luz on Thursday after the first leg result of 3-2 in Napoli’s favour. Benfica will not want to be out of Europe so early in the season, while high-flying Napoli could come to a screeching halt...

Benfica Starting To Get Off the Ground

After a rather lacklustre start, The Eagles have started to get some much needed results. The Portuguese club are determined to make up for last year’s disappointment in Europe and the league. Benfica have picked up two wins in a row in the Liga Sagres, including an accomplished performance in the derby against Sporting that saw them win 2-0. They now sit just a point behind leaders Nacional, Leixoes, and Sporting themselves who are all tied on nine points.

Many Benfica fans will be pleased with the fine performances of summer transfers Jose Antonio Reyes and Pablo Aimar, who combined for the first goal against Sporting on the weekend and Aimar showed all of his attacking talent, having a hand in the second goal as well. Unfortunately, Aimar is a doubt for this showdown through injury, but is not ruled out of making an appearance entirely.

The first leg of the match-up with Napoli was an intense affair for Benfica. After taking the lead through David Suazo, they let in three straight goals at the Stadio San Paolo, but crucially cut the deficit through Brazilian defender Luisao as the game ended 3-2. Those two away goals could be significant, as Napoli seemed to be in control of the result before Luisao kept his side in the tie. Now, there is everything to play for at the Estadio Da Luz on Thursday.

Napoli Not Afraid of Anybody

The Vesuviani have been in fine form all season and in fact currently sit second place in Serie A, a single pint behind Lazio. Napoli are still unbeaten in 2008/09 and seem to have a squad capable of making the difference when the result is on the line as they did against Bologna, when German Denis scored a late winner, and Fiorentina, when they reversed a 1-0 half-time score line to win 2-1.

The first leg saw Napoli at their attacking best, as they terrorized Benfica’s defence to obtain a 3-1 lead at one point in the match. However, the game also showed that the Partonopei lack some European experience and are a bit naive having been away from the continental stage so long as they allowed Benfica back into the match to leave the tie in the balance.

Napoli certainly have plenty of talent and team spirit as they have shown this season and, on their day, are capable of achieving a great result. Edy Reja's men cannot make the same defensive mistakes as they did in the first leg if they are to advance, and the backline trio will need to be at their attentive best while the likes of Walter Gargano and Manuele Blasi in the midfield must offer them plenty of support.

Whatever the result on Thursday, one team will be extremely disappointed to go out so early in the tournament. Both sides would have been capable of deep runs in the UEFA Cup. As Napoli are looking to announce and solidify themselves on the European stage while Benfica want to reclaim past glories.

FORM GUIDE

Benfica

September 27: Benfica – Sporting 2-0

September 22: P. Ferreira – Benfica 3-4

September 18: Napoli – Benfica 3-2

August 30: Benfica – Porto 1-1

August 24: Rio Ave – Benfica 1-1

Napoli

September 28: Bologna – Napoli 0-1

September 24: Napoli - Palermo 2-1

September 21: Udinese - Napoli 0-0

September 18: Napoli - Benfica 3-2

September 14: Napoli - Fiorentina 2-1

TEAM NEWS

Benfica Coach Quique Flores will have to play Napoli without several members of his strike force, which is unfortunate because what the Portuguese club will need most is a goal. David Suazo is definitely out through with a thigh injury he sustained in the first leg, after scoring Benfica’s opener. Meanwhile, the influential Pablo Aimar is doubtful, but could still play a part in the match. Cardozo is serving the final game of his three match European suspension from last season, while Montorras and Makakula are not eligible for to play in the UEFA Cup as they were not included in the original list for the tournament by their coach. Thus, Jose Antonio Reyes should move up the field to play alongside Nuno Gomes.

Probable Starting XI: Quim –Pereira, Sidnei, Luisao, Leo – Yebda, Carlos Martins, Katsouranis, DiMaria – Reyes, Nuno Gomes.

Napoli

The Partenopei have a majority of their players available for this match, but coach Edy Reja will make a few changes from the line-up that defeated Bologna 1-0 on Sunday. The returning Lavezzi will find himself back in the starting line-up, while first choice goalkeeper Gennaro Iezzo will take his place between the posts. In defence, Rinaudo and Aronica will lose their places to Paolo Cannavaro and former Parma player Matteo Contini, while Maggio was rested on Sunday, but will definitely be on the field from the first whistle on Thursday.

Probable Starting XI: Iezzo – Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini – Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Hamsik, Vitale – Lavezzi, Zayaleta (or Denis)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Benfica need to score and they will rely on captain Nuno Gomes to help them on their way. The Portuguese veteran has plenty of experience in these situations for both club and country and the Benfica fans will be hoping that he can register on the score sheet.

Napoli will welcome back their most creative force for this match, Ezequiel Lavezzi. The 23-year-old has become a fan favourite at the club and his ability to keep posession and vision will be necessary if his side are to get a result in Portugal. If Benfica begin to get desperate for a goal, Lavezzi will benefit the most from the extra space provided. He should be a constant threat all night.

PREDICTION

The two away goals earned by Benfica in Naples will greatly help their cause. The Portuguese side have plenty of quality, but can be fairly toothless upfront at times. However, this game will be much more cagey than the first leg and the Eagles could just shade it in the end. Napoli’s UEFA Cup dream may well end very early unless the Italians can somehow get off the mark first. Benfica 1-0 Napoli

[Blue Mastiff]

thats what the score is at the moment 1-0 benfica.

zalayeta missed an open goal towards the end of the 1st half.

[Blue Mastiff]

UEFA is over.

Benfica 2-0 Napoli

Benfica scoring late on with Napoli chasing the equaliser which woul have put us through.

Not too shattered about this result.

At the end of the day you make the QF or SF of the Cup who remembers that..... while your League campaign suffers.

We now have the opportunity to rest some tired and injured players, Go on a good Coppa Italia Run with Salerinatana next round and cement a top 6 finish in the League with everything going well.

We have a very tricky encounter vs Genoa fuori a casa. This fixture tends to be an entertaining one, as in Serie A Napoli haven’t won here since a 4-3 result in January 1992. In 36 top-flight meetings, between them the teams have scored an epic 105 goals!

[Blue Mastiff]

Benfica 2 - 0 Napoli (4-3 on agg.)
Reyes 57 (B), Nuno Gomes 83 (B)

Estádio Da Luz, Lisbon

Napoli suffered a heartbreaking UEFA Cup exit as they fell 2-0 at Benfica's Estadio Da Luz thanks to a late Nuno Gomes goal.

The first leg at the Stadio San Paolo was a five-goal thriller but Napoli were left rueing the second away goal, which cut their lead to 3-2 and left the tie evenly poised.

Inter-owned hitman David Suazo was missing for Benfica due to injury and there were a number of changes to the team that lost in Naples.

Edy Reja opted for Matteo Gianello in goal and Leandro Rinaudo in place of Fabiano Santacroce at the back.

The atmosphere was electric as the teams came out of the tunnel and Napoli had a real test on their hands to hold their slender lead.

Manuele Blasi started the game with a crunching foul on Maxi Perreira.

Ezequiel Lavezzi forced a fantastic save from Quim after just four minutes when the Argentine striker was first to a Matteo Contini through ball and left Luisao for dead.

A Benfica free-kick bounced around in the box, but Sidney blazed well over the bar.

The action was intense and Gianello had to dive to save from Greek striker Kostas Katsouranis.

In the 16th minute, Gianello did even better when he tipped away a venomous hit from Angel Di Maria.

Benfica had two free-kicks in dangerous positions but couldn't convert as the pressure was applied to the Vesuviani.

Lavezzi and Marcelo Zalayeta tried an ambitious one-two but the Benfica defence closed them out.

The tension went up a notch when Christian Maggio went down injured and Benfica refused to put the ball out of play.

The quality of play was poor towards the break with Benfica enjoying most of the ball but neither side looking incisive.

But Napoli missed an incredible chance as Paolo Cannavaro hit the post with a header from a free-kick and Zalayeta somehow missed an open goal on the rebound.

There was another good opportunity on the stroke of half-time when Maggio's cross found Lavezzi, but his attempt was blocked by Luisao.

At the break it was all square, leaving Napoli with a fragile lead but they could have been in charge had they converted the best chance of the half.

There were no changes at the break and Lavezzi still had plenty of fuel in the tank as he charged forward and shot over from 25 yards.

But Benfica scored after 57 minutes when Reyes picked up the ball outside the box and beat Gianello with his left foot.

Marek Hamsik was taken off after a disappointing performance to be replaced by Under-21 international Andrea Russotto.

Nuno Gomes let fly from distance but Gianello went to ground to keep it out.

Lavezzi was not too happy at being substituted for German Denis and he seemed to aim an angry comment at Reja.

The heat was intense on the pitch and both Walter Gargano and Contini picked up yellow cards within a minute.

With just seven minutes left, Napoli were hit by a sucker punch as Benfica made it 2-0 and took a 4-3 lead on aggregate.

Portuguese international Nuno Gomes rose to head a cross past Gianello and send the home fans wild.

Katsouranis nearly finished the tie off when his shot from distance ended up just wide of the mark.

Nuno Gomes missed a chance to put the game to bed when he received the ball in the area but couldn't add to his crucial first goal.

But Napoli had nothing left and their European adventure came to an end on a sad night in Portugal.

Benfica: Quim; Maxi Pereira, Luisao, Sidney, Jorge Ribeiro; Ruben Anorim (Carlos Martins 71), Katsouranis, Yebda (Binya 77), Reyes; Di Maria (Urreta 79), Nuno Gomes

Napoli: Gianello; Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Contini; Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Hamsik (Russotto 66), Vitale (Mannini 79); Lavezzi (Denis 72), Zalayeta

Ref: Stark (Ger)

[4 Stars]

UEFA is over.

Benfica 2-0 Napoli

Benfica scoring late on with Napoli chasing the equaliser which woul have put us through.

Not too shattered about this result.
At the end of the day you make the QF or SF of the Cup who remembers that..... while your League campaign suffers.

We now have the opportunity to rest some tired and injured players, Go on a good Coppa Italia Run with Salerinatana next round and cement a top 6 finish in the League with everything going well.

We have a very tricky encounter vs Genoa fuori a casa. This fixture tends to be an entertaining one, as in Serie A Napoli haven’t won here since a 4-3 result in January 1992. In 36 top-flight meetings, between them the teams have scored an epic 105 goals!

You weren't saying that before Fatso

[Judge Judy]

At the end of the day you make the QF or SF of the Cup who remembers that..... while your League campaign suffers.

and who remembers where you finish when it's somewhere around mid table?

people remember cup runs more than they'll remember where your team finished in the league that season

[El Pibe D'Oro]

1st Loss in about 10 games - very disappointed, but Benfica are a good side.

Anyway Phil, how is life in the gutter treating you?

BTW who do you support, you still havent answered the question I asked about 6 months ago.

[Napoli]

BUGGA!!!! I was really hopeing we could go further!!!

[4 Stars]

Well done Napoli you stinking team.
Thanks for letting us down in Europe this week....the only Italian team to lose.
What a bunch of scum.
BTW Scudetto you knob, I go for you Juve and I stated that early on.
See you at the Innocenti sale today.

[El Pibe D'Oro]

Thats all we need - another calo that doesnt even follow his own team.

4 Years ago we were playing Serie C. Last season we finished 8th. Only time will tell, anything but higher than that will be failure.

This morning we lost to a team that has played CL and UEFA cup continuously in that period and nearly got over the line.

You my friend are a petulant racist c'unt and thats all. Amazing cos you probably have Napuletani friends and you look them in the eye and smile, then when their backs are turned stab them. Thats the calibre of person you are.

Im sure you will be at innocenti. Thas where your standards are at. You probably hope that downtown gets re-opened so you can go in school holidays.

C'unt.

[Napoli]

Thats all we need - another calo that doesnt even follow his own team.

4 Years ago we were playing Serie C. Last season we finished 8th. Only time will tell, anything but higher than that will be failure.

This morning we lost to a team that has played CL and UEFA cup continuously in that period and nearly got over the line.

You my friend are a petulant racist c'unt and thats all. Amazing cos you probably have Napuletani friends and you look them in the eye and smile, then when their backs are turned stab them. Thats the calibre of person you are.

Im sure you will be at innocenti. Thas where your standards are at. You probably hope that downtown gets re-opened so you can go in school holidays.

C'unt.

Its not only calos. I know heaps of Naps that go for Juve. Disgusting!!!

[Blue Mastiff]

57,000 was the crowd figure.

not a bad little number.

[Napoli]

57,000 was the crowd figure.

not a bad little number.

What's the capacity of Benfica's stadium?

Napoli is a real crowd puller - everywhere they go!

[Piola]

At the end of the day you make the QF or SF of the Cup who remembers that..... while your League campaign suffers.

and who remembers where you finish when it's somewhere around mid table?

people remember cup runs more than they'll remember where your team finished in the league that season

UEFA Cup = nessun si frega un cazzo

[delfino_1936]

happy- cause napoli are out
not happy- cause one less italian team in europe

so disappointment and happiness

[Piola]

happy- cause napoli are out
not happy- cause one less italian team in europe

so disappointment and happiness

Napoli being out helps them more than anything

they have a small squad compared to the likes of Lazio, Fiorentina, Milan, face it. If they played UEFA Cup, they would've probably needed the intertoto just to get back into europe again. They're doing well now but over 38 games + Europe with a squad of just under 30, they wouldn't last.

Trust a liverpool fan to say a second rate cup is more important than the league. NOTHING is more important than the league. If Napoli are pushing for a CL place at the season's end, I doubt they'll even give a flying fuuck about losing this morning.

[Napoli]

happy- cause napoli are out
not happy- cause one less italian team in europe

so disappointment and happiness

Napoli being out helps them more than anything

they have a small squad compared to the likes of Lazio, Fiorentina, Milan, face it. If they played UEFA Cup, they would've probably needed the intertoto just to get back into europe again. They're doing well now but over 38 games + Europe with a squad of just under 30, they wouldn't last.

Trust a liverpool fan to say a second rate cup is more important than the league. NOTHING is more important than the league. If Napoli are pushing for a CL place at the season's end, I doubt they'll even give a flying fuuck about losing this morning.

After getting over the initial fact they lost, in the long run, I agree that it is probably the best thing that could have happened. greatly increases the chance for them to make the top 4 this year.

[COLOSSUS]

What a great crowd and great game. Was a pretty even game i thought, both goals were of world class although the volley goal was that friken good, that you could of given Napolis keeper half an hour notice that it was coming and he still wouldnt of stopped it, brilliant volley

And what about that crowd, just when the Naps thought they had the best support in the world, up pop the Eagles supporters of Benfica, there was that many of them and they were that loud, that it was enough to scare the crap out of any Nap watching it at home on their TV screens, what a great atmosphere

Great game though, and either or would of been a deserved winner, unlucky Napoli

[Blue Mastiff]

you couldnt have said it better laziale.

League is always No 1. priority.

I think we all got a little excited being back in Europe, and we were coming up against a European powerhouse compared with other clubs playing lesser opposition.

Our transition through the Intertoto and the 2 games vs Benfica prepared us well for the opening of the Serie A and we have got excellent results from our opening games. We started pre-season earlier than other clubs and agree with you regarding the depth of playing league/uefa and coppa italia. We have however have the depth to mount an excellent challenge for 3rd and 4th spot.

As always every year I look at reachiing the 40point mark as early as possible then think about how far we can go with the players available at that time and the opposition remaining.

You guys can really set yourselves up with games vs the 2 promoted sides coming up in Lecce & Bologna then THE BLOCKBUSTER A CASA CONTRO IL NAPOLI!!!!! then Chievo, Catania & Siena. You could very well be running away with it come half season end!!!