Liverpool will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign this Wednesday when they travel to Italy to face Napoli.
Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona (Naples)
Key Statistics
Napoli have only ever lost three of their 21 home UCL matches (W13, D5).
The hosts have won five of their six home UCL encounters (L1) against English teams at home.
There have been eight goals scored in the 30-45-minute period in Napoli’s last seven matches.
Liverpool are the first club in UCL history to win all six of their away matches last term.
The Reds have won each of their last three visits to Italy, scoring 2+ goals each time.
They won all their group stage games last season.
Head to head
In ten meetings between both clubs, Napoli have three wins while Liverpool also have three wins.
Latest performances in all competitions
Napoli: W-D-D-W-W
Liverpool: D-W-W-L-D
Napoli
Napoli welcome Liverpool to the iconic Stadio Armando Diego Maradona as they kick off their Champions League campaign after missing out last season.
The hosts come into this game off the back of a 1-2 comeback win against Lazio in the Italian Serie A last weekend.
The win means that Luciano Spalletti’s men sit second in the Serie A table and have scored the most goals so far in the division while they are yet to taste defeat.
Along with their Wednesday host, Napoli are one of the favourites from Group A to make it to the next round. But a win over Liverpool is easier said than done despite the Reds’ slow start to the season.
In the last five meetings between the two sides, Napoli have had the edge with three wins, while the Reds managed just one win in that period.
Georgian striker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been a revelation since signing on from Dinamo Batumi for ten million Euros. So far he has chipped in with four goals in the Italian Serie A and will hope to continue his hot streak in Europe.
The attacker is expected to lead the lines once more alongside strike partner Victor Osimhen against Jurgen Klopp’s side who have looked surprisingly defensively vulnerable this season.
Possible Napoli starting line-up
Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kim Min-jae, Mario Rui; Andre Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotkap; Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Victor Osimhen.
Injured: Diego Demme, Adam Ounas
Doubtful: Hirving Lozano
Suspended: None
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s men on the other hand have started the season on a back foot amid an injury crisis which has reduced the Reds to playing catch up to the rest of the Premier League big teams.
Liverpool have only managed to win two of their last six games which includes three draws and a single loss. Despite their poor start to the season, Jurgen Klopp’s men are being tipped to turn things around and return to their place among the Premier League’s finest.
However, Jurgen Klopp will be eager to see his men bounce back from their recent draw in the Merseyside Derby against Everton and put in a more improved performance against Luciano Spalletti’s team.
Having been drawn in the same group as Ajax, Rangers and Napoli, The Reds will be fairly confident of their chances of securing a passage to the next round of the competition but will face stern challenges from the other teams in Group A.
The game against the Serie A giants presents a perfect opportunity for Klopp’s men to make a statement of intent to the rest of the teams in the competition doubting their credentials this season, and the German will relish nothing but a dominant display from his boys.
Possible Liverpool starting line-up
Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Fabinho, Harvey Elliot, Arthur Melo; Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino.
Injured: Ibrahima Konate, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Calvin Ramsay, Jordan Henderson
Doubtful: Thiago Alcantara, Caoimhin Kelleher, Fabio Carvalho
Suspended: None
Prediction
Napoli 2-3 Liverpool
