Napoli's remarkable campaign: is the Champions League also in their sights?

Naples is of course the great Diego Maradona's former home, and his nation managed to deliver the FIFA World Cup trophy in December for the first time since his playing days. Both Argentina and Napoli had not achieved great success since Maradona's playing days up until this season, but that looks almost certain to change.

Napoli is fighting on two fronts

The Serie A title race is seemingly wrapped up, but Napoli has work to do in the UEFA Champions League as they seek a remarkable double, which is so far unprecedented this century for an Italian team not based in Milan. Napoli is expected to comfortably breeze past last year's Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16.

Italian football is already incredibly popular globally and Napoli's strong performances in Europe have offered an exciting advertisement of Serie A. The league has many international fans as close as nearby Malta. The likes of Inter Milan and Juventus held friendly camps in the nation over the World Cup break and with the Maltese Premier League not being particularly strong, it is no surprise that fans from Malta support Serie A's leading clubs.

Football is by far the most popular sport in Malta, and the biggest club competition in the world is closely followed across the nation. Huge clubs from across Europe as well as Italian clubs are followed such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Both teams boast huge fan clubs on the island and perhaps many Maltese football fans will be backing the Spanish and German title holders to lift the trophy in Istanbul. However, Napoli is certainly a club that could see its worldwide following grow if they were to win the competition. Italian clubs generally have a large following in Malta due to the close proximity of the nations, but the most historically successful clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus are favoured.

Napoli has never won the European Cup and has not won the Serie A title since the 1989/90 season, but this season they are in the running to claim both trophies in what would undoubtedly be the club's greatest campaign ever. In betting on football matches in Malta, Napoli is the -130 favorite to overcome AC Milan in the first leg of their quarter-final fixture and continue their UCL journey after cruising past Eintracht Frankfurt in the last 16. Sites will often allow users to switch between odds types to find the one that suits them best, with fractional, decimal, and American being the most popular, but regardless, Napoli is the clear favorite, especially when this is translated across to probability.

Napoli's key players

Napoli's excellent season so far has largely been the result of excellent recruitment in the transfer market. The likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, and Dries Mertens all departed the club last summer yet remarkably the side has vastly improved in the absence of some of their long-term stars. Koulibaly was perhaps the most feared departure with the Senegalese defender having been a leader at the back for Napoli for many years. However, Kim Min-Jae has been an excellent replacement for their former rock at the back - he has provided the pace, athleticism, and footballing IQ that Napoli lost when Koulibaly joined Chelsea.

One of Napoli's most impressive coups arguably came in the midfield area. The club took a risk in signing a midfield engine in Frank Anguissa as he struggled in the Premier League. He has been vital to Napoli's high intensity this season due to his ability to press and cover large distances on and off the ball.

The team from Naples was never expected to reach the heights they have so far this season after losing much of the spine of the side and having to take risks in the transfer market to replace them. However, they have made a clear blueprint for future teams to follow - sometimes fresh personnel is more effective than sentimentality. Much of Napoli's legends have departed, but new signings are quickly writing themselves into history. They could even become some of the club's greatest-ever players if they could secure a maiden UCL success for the club.

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