Porto host Napoli in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday 4 November, with both clubs occupying the lower reaches of the competition's league table. According to the BBC's table, updated on the morning of the match, Porto are 35th with no points from three games, while Napoli sit 24th on three points from three matches.
The fixture pairs a side still searching for its first point of the campaign against one clinging to the final play-off position. The BBC's table marks positions 1 to 8 as direct qualifiers for the eighth finals, with places 9 through 24 going into a play-off round.
Why it matters
The stakes differ sharply for the two clubs. For Porto, the match is a chance to end a run of three defeats and keep any hope of progressing alive. For Napoli, it is an opportunity to steady a campaign that has produced one win and two losses so far.
Napoli's current placing is precarious. The Italian side occupy 24th, the last spot that leads to the play-off round, and a defeat in Portugal could see them drop out of that bracket depending on results elsewhere. Porto, meanwhile, are second from bottom of the 36-team table, above only Slovan Bratislava, who have also lost all their matches.
How the two clubs compare
The BBC's standings show Napoli with five goals scored and seven conceded across their three matches, giving them a goal difference of minus two. Their form line reads loss, loss, win, oldest first.
Porto's record is weaker still. The Portuguese club have found the net twice and conceded six, leaving them with a goal difference of minus four. They have lost all three of their games.
The table also illustrates the gap between these two sides and the competition's leaders. Paris Saint-Germain top the standings with 12 points from four matches and a goal difference of plus 15, having won every game. Barcelona and Aston Villa are level on nine points, with Barcelona second on goal difference.
Liverpool and Real Madrid, both on nine points from three games, sit fourth and fifth respectively. Sporting CP and Real Betis also have nine points, occupying sixth and seventh.
A congested middle and a crowded bottom
The BBC table shows how tightly packed the lower half of the competition is. Napoli's three points place them 24th, but several clubs sit immediately around them on the same total. Sabah FK are 25th, with Lens, AEK Athens and RB Leipzig all 26th to 28th on three points. Villarreal and Feyenoord, both on three points, are 29th and 30th.
That congestion means a single result can move a club several places. A win for Napoli would lift them clear of the cluster; a loss would leave them vulnerable to being overtaken.
Below that group, Fenerbahçe have two points, while Slavia Prague and Viking each have one. Lille, on one point from four matches, are 34th. Porto and Slovan Bratislava are the only clubs yet to register a point, with the Slovak side having conceded 17 goals in four games.
At the top, the picture is more settled. PSG's perfect record has opened a three-point cushion over the chasing pack, and Bayern Munich are the only other unbeaten side in the top eight, with eight points from four matches after two wins and two draws.
What to watch
The match offers Porto a route back into the conversation and Napoli a chance to protect their place in the play-off positions. With the table this compressed, the outcome in Portugal will ripple through the standings above and below both clubs.
