Europa League Adventure Begins for the Ultimate Achievers

Leicester City vs Napoli

The standout Europa League tie of the week.

It’s also a meeting of two clubs who have triumphed memorably against the odds in spectacular fashion.

Granted, Napoli possessed the best player in the world in Diego Maradona when they were winning Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup – the forerunner to the Europa League – in the late 1980s and early 90s.

Yet they were still up against the mighty Juventus and clubs from Milan, one of which was European champions in successive seasons and had the likes of Ruud Gullit, Franco Baresi and Marco van Basten in its ranks.

If Napoli’s glory years were wonderful, in Leicester City’s case it was the ultimate modern fairytale: the 2016 Premier League title, which has since been followed up this year by FA Cup success – tales which will live in the memory long after you and I have departed this world.

The question now is, can the Italians roll back the years or can Leicester add to their domestic success in Europe in 2022?

This is where it all begins!

Talking Points

Certainly, there is every reason to anticipate Europa League 2021 highlights at the King Power Stadium on Thursday night.

FA Cup winners Leicester gave league champions Manchester City a real test on Saturday and narrowly went down to defeat.

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Serie A

Some went as far to criticise Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers for substituting new signing Jannik Vestergaard after an hour – just two minutes before City scored the only goal of the game – although he was returning from injury and his replacement, Jonny Evans, was hardly a downgrade.

Despite a second defeat in three games, there were still plenty of positives for Rodgers at the start of a busy period of games that will go some way to shaping Leicester’s season.

That match was the first of seven league and cup matches in the space of 22 days.

Napoli had a big match, and result, of their own at the weekend.

Luciano Spalletti’s side piled more misery on Juventus as a late winner from Kalidou Koulibaly – previously linked with a move to the Premier League – clinched a 2-1 comeback victory to continue the hosts’ perfect start to the Serie A season and leave the Turin club winless after three games.

The only downside in their evening’s work was an injury to captain Lorenzo Insigne on the day he marked his 400th competitive appearance in the Napoli shirt.

The Italy international was strapped up and it remains to be seen if the problem is his knee or the muscle just above it.

Insigne’s influence is key and he is only the fourth player to achieve such a landmark after Antonio Juliano (505), Giuseppe Bruscolotti (511) and Marek Hamsik (520).

The similarities between these clubs don’t just stretch to lifting honours against the established big hitters.

Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly aims to score against Leicester City as they battle in the Europa League — Kalidou Koulibaly in action during Napoli’s match against Juventus

Both finished fifth in their domestic league last season after missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day.

Leicester were in this position 12 months ago and won their Europa League group before bowing out, surprisingly, to Slavia Prague. Napoli also suffered a shock defeat to La Liga outfit Granada in the knockout stages.

This should be a thoroughly entertaining contest and one I recommend as an attacking spectacle for the neutrals.

My one to watch may surprise you though.

Timothy Castagne played in Serie A for Atalanta from 2017 to 2020 before moving to Leicester. He made 96 appearances in all competitions for the Bergamo club, scoring eight goals, the first of them away to Napoli in a 2-1 Coppa Italia victory in January 2018.