Copenhagen vs Napoli Prediction: McTominay the man in pulsating Parken contest between play-off hopefuls

FC Copenhagen and Napoli, ranked 23rd and 24th, respectively, in the 36-team Uefa Champions League league phase, face off at the former's Parken Stadium on Tuesday (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 5), with both teams, who occupy the last two play-off places, searching for a win to boost their qualification hopes.

Below are my Copenhagen vs Napoli predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this first-ever meeting between the reigning Danish and Italian league champions.

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Team News

Magnus Mattsson and Rodrigo Huescas (knee) are out injured for Copenhagen, while Kenay Myrie, who joined from Costa Rican side Saprissa earlier this month, is ineligible to feature.

Football Odds

Midfield trio Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa (both thigh) and Billy Gilmour (groin), as well as goalkeeper Alex Meret (shoulder) and striker Romelu Lukaku (thigh), miss out for Napoli again.

Matteo Politano (thigh) and Amir Rrahmani (left gluteus) suffered injuries in Gli Azzurri's 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in Serie A on Saturday, and both are expected to miss out on Tuesday's trip to Denmark, while David Neres (ankle) and Eljif Elmas (illness) are doubts, too.

Copenhagen vs Napoli Odds

Copenhagen, who began their campaign with a draw and three losses before claiming back-to-back wins in rounds five and six, are 16/5, or a 23.8% chance, to make it three consecutive victories on Tuesday, with Napoli, who have lost all three away games, priced at 10/11 (52.4%), and the draw offered at 5/2.

Both Teams to Score 2 or More Goals Yes/No - Yes @ 5/1

Both teams have scored at least twice in four of Copenhagen's six league-phase matches, including all three at home against Bayer Leverkusen (2-2), Borussia Dortmund (2-4) and Kairat Almaty (3-2), and their last away outing against Villarreal (2-3).

Napoli have struggled for goals in Europe this season, blanking in four of their six games and netting just three times in total.

However, Antonio Conte's charges now come up against a side, Copenhagen, that have conceded 16 goals - only Ajax (18) have shipped more.

Today's Football Fixtures

Both sides are likely to be going for the win here, as a draw does little for either in their quest for a top-24 finish, especially as Copenhagen travel to Barcelona in the final round of fixtures, while Napoli host a resurgent Chelsea.

As a result, I'm confident we will see a high-scoring contest at Parken Stadium, with both teams going all out for the three points.

Anytime Goalscorer - Scott McTominay (NAP) @ 21/10

Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay has scored half (three) of his side's six Champions League goals this season, including both of their strikes away from home against PSV Eindhoven in a 6-2 defeat.

The 29-year-old is usually the man for the big occasion, as highlighted recently in Napoli's 2-2 draw at Inter Milan, where he scored both of Gli Azzurri's equalisers.

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