Napoli – Como: an Italian Cup quarter-final that’s trickier than it looks 
It went down to the wire last round. After a nervy 1-1 at the Maradona Stadium, Napoli survived an unbearable penalty shootout. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, true to form, kept one out… then stepped up and scored his own. Final score: 9-8, and a ticket to the quarter-finals booked, with a possible semi against Inter waiting around the corner.
Napoli: still standing despite the shocks 
Dumped out of Europe early, Antonio Conte can still chase a domestic treble. After last season’s Serie A title and the Italian Super Cup in December, the Italian Cup is a target they’re taking seriously.
In the league, Napoli have slipped out of the title fight, dropped behind the Milan clubs in recent weeks. Two straight wins, though, have helped the champions steady the ship and cling to third.
Those wins weren’t quiet affairs. After a tense win over Fiorentina at the Maradona, they suffered again in Genoa on Saturday. Down early, they flipped it thanks to Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, the latter with another screamer.
Then it turned chaotic. McTominay went off injured, Napoli let their lead slip, and ended up a man down. In a messy game, Hojlund finally sealed it with a last-gasp penalty.
Conte will be hunting a third straight win back in Naples — a place only Chelsea have won in since 2024.
Como: bold ambition out in the open 
Against Napoli’s history, Como go there without fear. Having knocked out Sudtirol and then Sassuolo, the Lombard club are enjoying the best season in their history and are chasing ambitions they’d never dared touch before.
Fuelled by two years of heavy investment, Cesc Fàbregas’s side are in a believable fight for Europe… and now dream of their first major trophy, the Italian Cup.
Before hitting the wall against Atalanta, Como had been on fire. Three wins in a row, twelve goals — a ruthless 3-0 at Lazio, a 6-0 drubbing of Torino, and a gutsy victory in Florence to dump Fiorentina out.
That momentum stalled hard vs Atalanta. Despite more than 80 minutes with an extra man, 25 attempts and dominant possession, Como never found a way through. Cruelly, Nico Paz missed a stoppage-time penalty, denied by an imperious Marco Carnesecchi. The final whistle left Paz in tears and the crowd furious.
With a forced weekend off — their game against Milan moved because of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony at San Siro — Fàbregas’s men arrive in Campania fresh… and itching to blow the Naples run apart.
They were already close in November, grabbing a dogged 0-0 at the Maradona in a season where home sides generally held sway.
Likely line-ups
Napoli :
Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Jesus; Gutierrez, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Vergara, Elmas; Hojlund
Como :
Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas
Football Prediction Napoli vs Como
Como or Draw
Last meeting proved it: the gap isn’t what it used to be. Fresh, ambitious and chance-happy, Como have the tools to put Napoli under pressure again, especially against a side light on energy.
Over 90 minutes, the Lombards can snag at least a draw. That might not be enough to go through, though — Napoli’s experience and cool heads in shootouts carry weight. It would stingingly echo the last round.
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