Napoli – Bude‑Glimt: Preview
We outline the plans for the match between Napoli and Bude‑Glimt in the third group stage round of the 2026/27 Champions League.
Napoli lost its first two Champions League matches and was humiliated in the last game against Venezia. Will the team recover against Bude‑Glimt, whose name irritates Inter, Roma and other Italian clubs?
Key points
Napoli
1. Napoli lost to Venezia, tension rises
Over the weekend, Max Allegri’s side surprised the public by losing to Venezia (0:1) – a team that had not earned a point up to that moment. In Serie A, the club already has three defeats and sits in a mid‑table position, while other top‑tier rivals pull away.
In the Champions League, the situation is no better: defeats to Arsenal (0:1) and Villarreal (1:3) put Napoli in an outsider position. Nothing has been lost yet, but acquisitions are not seen either. The difficulties, it seems, are increasing – even due to the tense atmosphere within the club.
2. Zambo‑Angissa recovered, Nerés and Santos injured In the match against Venezia, Max Allegri deployed an experimental squad, giving rest to Rasmussen Hoylunn, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Politano and Alessio Santos, who came on in the second half to salvage the game. For Santos, this substitution became a new problem: the Brazilian recently recovered from a previous injury but returned to the dressing room alongside defender Alessandro Bontorno, midfielder Antonio Vergara and David Nerés, who is actively used as a winger.
Napoli almost has no wingers, so the team returned to a 3‑4‑2‑1 formation with three central defenders.
3. Napoli and Allegri have difficult relations with the Champions League Two consecutive defeats put Napoli in an uncomfortable position in the tournament, and the loss to Venezia only worsens the situation. But that’s not all Allegri has to deal with. The club has only one win (against Qarabağ – 2:0) in the last eight group‑stage matches. Allegri’s personal record in the Champions League is also discouraging: only one win in ten matches and a sad streak of five consecutive defeats. Can these two overcome the growing crisis?
Bude‑Glimt
1. Bude‑Glimt beat Borussia and keep pace with the Norwegian league leader The “yellow shirts” showed energy again at Champions League level, beating Borussia Dortmund – 1:0. Håtle Kjutsen’s players worked the whole match without noticeable errors and scored the winning goal in the 52nd minute. Thus, the team earned its first points in the new group‑stage draw of the Champions League.
At the same time, Bude‑Glimt competes for the Norwegian championship final, facing Viking. The victory over Hamarkameratene (2:0) kept pace with the “dark blues”, who also play in the Champions League group stage.
2. Kjutsen made a moderate rotation in the Elite League match Despite the game against Borussia, head coach Håtle Kjutsen did not change the lineup much for the league match against Hamarkameratene. The early departure of Isaak Myatti, Viladsa Nilsen, Ulrik Saltnes, Ola Brinhlisen and Jøe Mvuaki was a temporary solution, with no continuity in Napoli that will not have. After the suspension, the central defender returns with One Bortuft, moving Haitama Aleasemi.
In the match against Napoli, four players will not play, but only Håkon Eivén is part of the main squad.
3. Bude‑Glimt – a tough rival for the Italians The first team to face Bude‑Glimt was Milan: they won on home ground 3:2, but with great effort. And who knows what would have happened if there had been a rematch of the third qualifying round of the Champions League in Bude (the round consisted of a single match due to COVID‑19). Most encounters with Bude‑Glimt were with Roma: they lost twice, with a draw and a win, and one of the defeats was crushing – 1:6. There were also matches with Juventus (2:3) and Lazio (2:0, 1:3), but the most recent and pleasant impression was the encounter with Inter in the 2025/26 season, which ended with two wins in the qualifiers: 2:1 and 3:1.
Approximate lineups
3-4-2-14-3-31Meret5Badyashil13Rrahmani31Beckema37Spinazzo8Maktoniemy68Lobotka22Di Lorenzo23Giovanni21Politano19Hoylunn12Haiken20Schweald2Nilsen4Bortuft15Børkan8Okland7Berg19Fet11Didrik Blomberg21Helmersen10Hauege
Betting on the trend
Napoli in three of five Champions League matches conceded two or more goals, and Bude‑Glimt in five of seven Champions League matches scored at least two goals. IT2B 1.5 for 2.80.
In the five Champions League matches, Napoli concedes at least one goal in the second half, and Bude‑Glimt after the break scored in four of five Champions League matches. Second half: IT2B 0.5 for 1.95.
Prediction
Napoli vs Bude‑Glimt 20.10.2026 23:00
In Napoli, the situation is unsettling: the team lost in two group‑stage Champions League matches and has already suffered three defeats in Serie A. The last defeat against Venezia was clinical. Allegri’s side does not seem unified, and the coach himself has questions and complaints from the top management. Perhaps resignation is near, and the next matches against Bude‑Glimt and Roma will answer the main questions.
Bude‑Glimt, after the crushing defeat against Bayern in the first round, focused on the second team of the Bundesliga – Borussia Dortmund. The stadium walls helped win and increase authority in the Champions League. The Italians, over the years, have played quite a bit with Bude‑Glimt, which sometimes caused them problems and sometimes left them alone with shame. Napoli is supposed to have the ability to avoid a repetition of that situation before its fans.
Prediction: 1-1
