One of the highlight matches in tonight's UEFA Champions League will be the game between Napoli and Real Madrid which will pit goal-scoring sensations Victor Osimhen and Jude Bellingham against each other in what is expected to be a thrilling clash at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli enter the contest off the back of a 4-0 victory over Lecce in the Serie A while Real Madrid were 3-0 winners over Girona in the Spanish La Liga. The Italian powerhouse have been far from perfect in the Serie A this season having won the title last season but they have already picked up their fourth league win of the campaign on Saturday by putting four unanswered goals past Lecce, with the result moving them onto 14 points from seven games. 

Also Read: Barcelona young star Lamine Yamal has signed a contract extension with the club up to 2026 with a 1 billion euros release clause.

Napoli are currently third in the Serie A table seating four points behind league leaders Inter Milan. They have so far been victorious in three of their last four matches in all competitions including a win over Sporting Braga in the UEFA Champions League. They reached the quarter-finals in last season's Champions League, their best-ever performance in the competition.  They will be expecting to proceed out of the group stages this time around. Napoli and Real Madrid last met in the round of 16 in the 2016-17 campaign with the Spanish powerhouse winning 3-1 both home and away to advance into the last eight of the competition. 

Real Madrid have won 14 European cups and have been in strong form in the start of the 2023-24 football season. The Los Blancos have suffered only one defeat which was on foreign soil to their bitter rivals Atletico Madrid last weekend. Carlo Ancelotti's men have, otherwise, won every other match including seven in the La Liga table which has left them at the top of the Spanish League table. In their Champions League opener against Union Berlin, they were far from best but they managed to secure a 94th-minute winner thanks to Jude Bellingham. The Los Blancos have actually won each of their last eight matches against Serie A opposition, while they have been victorious in 14 of their last 15 games against Italian clubs. 

The Spanish capital outfit, however, have only managed to win seven of their last 23 away games in the UEFA Champions League, suffering eight defeats in the process, something that should give Napoli confidence going into the match. Real Madrid's decorated history in the competition, however, means that they can not be underestimated when it comes to this season's trophy having finished as runners-up last time out as they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the final against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Real Madrid are expected to advance from the group stages and tonight's clash against Napoli is expected to be one of the most hotly-contested fixtures of the tournament so far.

ALSO READ:
City to make peace with not playing in the Carabao Cup this season
Kenya wins bid to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON)
Xabi Alonso tipped to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid 

(Image: Goal.com)