Rijeka vs. Napoli – Europa League, November 5, 2020

Rijeka hosts Napoli on Thursday, November 5, with the Italian side sitting three points ahead of the Croatians in Europa League Group F.

After losing to AZ Alkmaar on Matchday 1, Gennaro Gattuso’s men picked up an impressive victory over high-flying Real Sociedad last week. Meanwhile, Rijeka has lost their opening two UEL games this season.

If you’re interested in wagering on Thursday’s Europa League clash, make sure you check out my Rijeka vs. Napoli prediction and betting pick below.

Despite the Croatians’ home advantage, Napoli (1.25) is the overwhelming favorite to claim all three points on Thursday. The lofty odds for the draw (6.00) and the home win (11.00) suggest that Rijeka won’t cause the Italians any problems.

After clinching five straight victories across late September and early October, Rijeka has hit a rough patch. The Whites have lost their last three outings in all competitions, including two defeats in the Europa League.

Simon Rozman’s side was just seconds away from securing an impressive draw with Real Sociedad a fortnight ago, but a 93^rd-minute Jon Bautista goal saw the Spaniards snatch all three points right at the death.

However, Rijeka was completely outclassed by AZ Alkmaar on Matchday 2. The Dutch team raced into a 4-0 lead inside 60 minutes, with Sandro Kulenovic netting a late consolation goal for the Whites.

To make matters worse, Rozman’s men slipped to fourth in the Croatian top-flight following a 2-0 defeat to Sibenik on Sunday. Rijeka is already 11 points behind top-club Dinamo Zagreb, although it is still early days.

⚽️ | Back to work on Monday: next up, Rijeka

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— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) November 2, 2020

Like Rijeka, Napoli also lost 2-0 in their previous outing. Gennaro Gattuso’s men created countless goalscoring opportunities on Sunday, yet they were eventually beaten by Sassuolo.

Still, back-to-back victories prior to Sunday’s defeat mean the Azzurri remains in a strong position. Napoli claimed a hugely impressive 4-1 win over Atalanta last month, before edging past newly-promoted Benevento 2-1, leaving the club fifth in Serie A.

Napoli completely dominated AZ Alkmaar on Matchday 1, but Gattuso’s men were unable to prevent a 1-0 defeat. However, they bounced back a week later, with Matteo Politano scoring to hand his side a hard-fought victory over Real Sociedad.

The Azzurri will be without big-money signing Victor Osimhen on Thursday following the striker’s red card against Sociedad. But with Politano chipping in with goals and assists and the likes of Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens, and Lorenzo Insigne available, Napoli shouldn’t struggle in attack.

Rijeka stunned everyone by frustrating Sociedad on Matchday 1, only to lose in the dying moments. The Croatians showed great determination a fortnight ago, although they were thrashed by Alkmaar soon after.

Napoli has not been at their best this season, but the team has still been finding ways to win games. I’m expecting the Azzurri’s superiority to shine through on Thursday, so backing the away win makes sense here.