10 key things to know ahead of Napoli vs. Liverpool – Liverpool FC

Liverpool kick off their Champions League campaign against an old foe on Wednesday night, with a chance to turn their fortunes around at Napoli.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are struggling in the Premier League at the moment, so hopefully a change of scene can bring them to life.

Liverpool make the difficult trip to Napoli on Wednesday, looking to make a strong start in the group stage and find much-needed pace in the process.

This is everything you need to know before the game.

1. Napoli are off to a good start

Napoli started the season as one of the contenders to win the Serie A title, and early evidence suggests they will be right in the mix come May.

Luciano Spalletti’s side have won three and drawn two in their opening five games, including a 5-2 win against Verona, and sit second in the table behind Atalanta.

The Italian giants may have lost defensive colossus Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea, but they don’t seem to be missing him.

However, Liverpool will be their toughest opponent of the season to date, so this may gauge their position amongst Europe’s elite.

2. Spalletti impressing in charge

In Spalletti, Napoli have a highly experienced manager who has a genuine pedigree after so many years at the top of Italian football.

The 63-year-old has already enjoyed spells at Roma and Inter Milan, winning back-to-back Italian Cups with the former, and now looks to guide his current club to a first league title since 1990.

Jurgen Klopp has only faced Spalletti once in his coaching career: a 4-2 win during their respective days at Borussia Dortmund and Zenit St. Petersburg.

3. Napoli XI planned

In terms of notable players, a few stand out for Napoli before the game.

Piotr Zielinski has been linked with a move to Liverpool numerous times during the Klopp era, including in 2016 when Gini Wijnaldum ended up joining instead.

The Pole is expected to start in midfield for Napoli alongside former Fulham player Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

In attack, Victor Osimhen is the star man, scoring 30 goals in 67 appearances, but he is a physical doubt before the match.

Winger Hirving Lozano is available despite a nasty clash of heads in the weekend’s win over Lazio, but Diego Demme is unavailable.

Scheduled Naples XI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rahmani, Rui; Zielinski, Zambo Ansiedad, Lobotka; Lozano, Quartz, Osimhen

4. Who is missing from Liverpool?

Liverpool still have a number of injury concerns, with Ibrahima Konate, Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones the most notable absentees.

On the plus side, Thiago was back in full training on Monday, acting as a huge boost, while Joel Matip is also fully fit again.

Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are long absent, both missing out on Liverpool’s 24-man squad for the group stage, while Caoimhin Kelleher is also absent.

Fabio Carvalho retired injured at half-time against Everton and did not train on Tuesday, so he is a big doubt.

5. Possible Reds lineup

It will be interesting to see if Klopp gives Arthur his Liverpool debut at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with the Brazilian now more in tune with his team-mates.

He may start on the bench, but Harvey Elliott could arguably use a break and Thiago may not take any chances so soon.

Speaking of fatigue, Trent Alexander-Arnold could be left out to recharge his batteries, which means Joe Gomez could possibly switch to right back and between Matip.

Andy Robertson should return in place of Kostas Tsimikas, while Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota will be pushing to start.

Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Milner, Arthur; Salah, Jota, Nunez

6. Diego Armando Maradona Stadium

Since Liverpool last traveled to Naples, the stadium has changed its name.

In 2020, the Napoli stadium was no longer known as Stadio San Paolo, but was changed to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

That is, of course, in memory of the legendary Diego Maradona, who is not only one of the greatest players of all time, but also a superstar in Napoli to this day.

The passing of the Argentine in November 2020 prompted the club to decide to name the stadium after him, in what was a moving and well-deserved gesture.

It was Maradona who almost single-handedly inspired Napoli to Serie A glory in 1987, as well as winning the league three years later.

7. Fights in Naples

This Liverpool side have dominated most of their opponents over the last four years, with few able to get the best of them.

However, Napoli have bucked that trend, beating them in the Champions League group stage in both 2018/19 (1-0) and 2019/20 (2-0), as well as drawing 1-1. at Anfield.

An intimidating place to visit, the Reds have performed poorly in Napoli, offering little attacking drive, and the hope is that things will be different this time around.

Liverpool’s current attacking form isn’t exactly reassuring!

8. Did you know?

Mohamed Salah is second on Liverpool’s all-time European goalscoring list, with his tally of 34 second only to Steven Gerrard (41).

To put his brilliance in perspective, the 30-year-old has the best games-to-goal ratio of the top 25 on the list.

Salah averages a goal every 1.74 games for Liverpool in Europe (Gerrard’s ratio was one every 3.17), with Roger Hunt (1.82) coming closest to matching him.

The Egyptian has yet to hit his best form this season, but Wednesday would be an ideal time to see him come back to life.

9. Spanish referee takes charge

Carlos del Cerro Grande has been confirmed as the referee for Wednesday’s game.

This will be the third Liverpool game the Spaniard has coached in the Champions League, with the Reds yet to win under him.

The first was a 2-0 loss at home to Atalanta in 2020/21, while the second was a 1-1 draw with Napoli at Anfield the previous season.

There is a first for everything…

10. Follow the game with TIA

Naples vs. Liverpool is live on BT Sport 2 from 7pm (BST), with kick-off at 8pm

Meanwhile, Sam Millne will be running the This Is Anfield matchday live blog, keeping you company from 7.15pm.

Come on Reds!