Italian teams do not tend to take the Europa League with much seriousness as has been portrayed in the rather abysmal exits of Juventus, Sampdoria and Palermo from the competition. Napoli too haven't performed admirably in Europe's second-tier club competition but heading into the final round of fixtures in the group stage, the Partenopei are the only Italian side still in with a chance of progressing into the Round of 32.
Currently stationed third in Group K with four points from five matches, Walter Mazzarri's side need a win against Steaua Bucharest tonight to qualify for the next stage. The Neapolitans are a couple of points behind the Romanians and anything less than a win will knock them out.
Winning will be anything but easy even for a Napoli side that are in great form and won at the weekend to stay six points off the pace in Serie A. The former Italian champions have yet to register a single victory in the Europa League and have drawn both of their group games at the San Paolo.
Mazzarri knows the immensity of the task at hand but remaining confident states, "On Wednesday we need to use our hearts and heads and not make life complicated for ourselves by making mistakes because of too much desire to overdo it.
"We need a perfect game defensively in order not to run risks. When we do things well we have the ability to put anyone in difficulty. We have to try to get a goal more than our opponents. We should never overdo it and we need attention to our nerves, tactics and psychology.''
Seeking A Point
Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest are placed in second spot in the group with six points from five matches and need just a draw to progress to the Round of 32. They will head into tonight's encounter with confidence given that Napoli have yet to bag maximum points from a match in the Europa League this season.
Steaua, though, do not have a very promiscuous away record as they have drawn one and lost the other so far in the competition. In September their encounter with Napoli in Bucharest ended in a 3-3 draw with the hosts relinquishing a three-goal lead.
Coach Marius Lacatus is aware of Napoli's form in Naples and says, "We'll come to Naples to play our game. We know the strength of the blue team and the great pressure that the crowd generate at the San Paolo, but we are prepared for anything.
"We are not playing for a draw - that would not be smart. We know this game will not end 0-0. Who I am afraid of from Napoli? I won't mention names, but the team has four or five players who can change the game at any moment.''
TEAM NEWS
Napoli
Ezequiel Lavezzi and Jose Sosa are struggling with ankle injuries and it is not clear at the moment whether they will be able to start. Mazzarri is said to start in a 3-4-2-1 line-up with Cavani as the targetman.
Steaua
Banel Nicolita and Pantelis Kapetanos are suspended, while Cristian Tanase. The visitors will deploy a 4-5-1 system that will have Stancu as the lone striker upfront.
Prediction
Napoli haven't looked very reliable in the Europa League and one suspects that they could give themselves a hard time against the Romanians tonight. However, it is unlikely that the Azzurri will lose all three points and will just about eke out a narrow victory in the end.
Napoli 2-0 Steaua 
