Champions League 2018/19: 4 big clubs who must win or face elimination from group stages

#2 Napoli

SSC Napoli

After the heartbreak of last season where the Pertenopei pushed Juventus all the way in the Scudetto race and recorded the highest point tally (91) for a team failing to win the Serie A, Napoli have begun life afresh following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti to replace Maurizio Sarri who departed to Chelsea.

The 59-year-old is a renowned specialist in the completion, and is one of just nine men to have won it as a coach and player, as well as one of just three to have won it as a manager with two different clubs, and it was believed that he would bring his experience to bear on Napoli who haven’t triumphed in Europe since a Diego Maradona-led victory in the UEFA Cup of 1989.

The Neapolitans began their Champions League campaign with a rather uninspiring draw with Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade, before putting up one of the best performances so far as they defeated Liverpool 1-0 at the San Paolo stadium in a match which they totally outclassed the otherwise brilliant Liverpool, reducing them to spectators on the field, against their swashbuckling style.

In Paris on matchday 3, they stood on the verge of recording another impressive victory against PSG until they were denied by Di Maria in injury time.

Their match against PSG at the San Paolo carries extra significance now, as a failure to achieve victory would mean that they would fall further behind their rivals and could see them fail to make it out of what was termed the group of death.