
Familiar foes are set to square off in a mouth-watering Champions League Group A curtain-raiser as Napoli and Liverpool go head-to-head at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Sharing the stage for the third time in five seasons, Napoli and Liverpool know what they can expect from each other in this blockbuster European fixture.
Luciano Spalletti’s side came from behind to beat fellow Serie A rivals Lazio 2-1 at the weekend, maintaining their 100% unbeaten start to the new league season (W3, D2).
Despite losing long-serving stalwarts Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne over the summer, the Partenopei already have a new hero in the shape of Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Brought in from Dinamo Batumi for just €10m, the 21-year-old has swiftly become a fan favourite in Naples after tallying four goals and one assist from his opening five Serie A appearances.
It’s fair to say Kvaratskhelia has accomplished what Liverpool hoped for Darwin Nunez after making the Uruguayan forward the club’s second-most expensive signing ever in the summer.
Nunez’s torrid start to his Premier League adventure has coincided with the Reds’ underwhelming domestic form that’s seen them win just two of their first six top-flight outings (D3, L1).
Therefore, manager Jurgen Klopp might see Liverpool’s return to Champions League football as a welcoming distraction, especially after his side drew 0-0 with Everton in Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
Match Preview
Napoli
No strangers to ferocious Champions League openings, Napoli have only lost one matchday-one fixture across their six previous Champions League campaigns (W3, D2).
Back to Europe’s elite competition following a two-year hiatus, the Partenopei will seek another flying start, having won both previous Champions League home matches against Liverpool.
Spalletti has every reason to be optimistic because his men have registered five wins in their six Champions League home encounters against Premier League visitors (L1).
Liverpool
Last season’s Champions League beaten finalists managed all six triumphs in the 2021/22 group stages and could become the first English side to achieve that feat in back-to-back campaigns.
Even though the Reds have experienced a faltering start to the season, they can draw confidence from winning all six away matches in last season’s Champions League edition.
On top of that, Liverpool have come out victorious in their last three visits to Italian clubs across major European competitions to indicate their ongoing three-game winless away streak (D2, L1) could come to a halt.
Napoli vs Liverpool Potential Line-ups
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Piotr Zielinski, Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka; Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Harvey Elliott, Fabinho, Arthur Melo; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
How to Watch?
Napoli vs Liverpool, alongside all other matches in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season, is available to watch online via Champions League live streams. And if you are interested in attending a future Champions League game, see our Champions League tickets page for more information.
Napoli vs Liverpool Prediction
Following Kalidou Koulibaly’s move to Chelsea, Napoli’s backline may not be as watertight as they used to be, which doesn’t mean they cannot keep another home clean sheet against Liverpool in the Champions League.
With Mohamed Salah and his teammates struggling for conviction in front of goal, we back the Italians to pour more misery on the Reds’ sub-standard early season.
Napoli 1-0 Liverpool

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