GARY LINEKER has revealed that he put a bet on Napoli to win the Champions League months ago.
The Italian side cruised through to the quarter-finals with a 5-0 aggregate victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lineker made an early prediction that Napoli would win the European competition this season when they were backed by few.
The BBC host tweeted: “Really enjoy watching Napoli. They play such exciting football. Had a very rare bet on them to win the Champions League this season some months ago.”
Before the tournament began, Napoli were 66-1 to win the final in Istanbul on June 10.
Lineker is not the only pundit to have backed them, Ruud Gullit told Gazzetta dello Sport: “They are the favourites to win the Champions League. I haven’t changed my mind.
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“They play a style of football that we all like to see – fast, rapid and vertical.
“The English clubs are strong, the same for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. But this Napoli team are totally different.”
On their route to the last eight, Luciano Spalletti’s men have hammered Liverpool 4-1 and demolished Ajax 6-1 in the group stage.
They have also beat Rangers 3-0 on two occasions.
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Domestically, Napoli are 18 points clear at the top of the Serie A table and look set to win the Scudetto this season.
Star players Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia lead the attack and both have been linked with moves to the Premier League.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
