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Liverpool booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the sixth successive season under Jurgen Klopp by beating Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam last week.
The Reds were on the back foot for much of the first half before Mohamed Salah‘s goal against the run of play broke the deadlock three minutes before half time, with strikes from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott after the break sealing their team’s progression to the last 16.
However, Klopp’s side’s inconsistent season continued with a 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, with Crysencio Summerville sending the away fans into raptures with a dramatic winner with only one minute of normal time remaining.
The defeat was the first time that Virgil van Dijk has lost on home turf in the Premier League since joining the club in January 2018, while ending Liverpool’s five-and-a-half-year unbeaten run in the league in front of a full capacity crowd at Anfield.
With the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain looking like potential group winners, Klopp would love to avoid facing any of them in the last 16 by beating Napoli by three or more goals on Tuesday, but on current form that is a very tall order.
However, with top spot not quite assured for them yet despite being in a strong position in terms of their to head-to-head record with Liverpool having beaten them 4-1 on matchday one, Spalletti will be urging his players to send out a statement by piling on the misery for Klopp’s men.
While a draw or even a narrow defeat would be no disaster given that their hard work has arguably already been done in terms of their Champions League campaign, the Neapolitans will not want to see their winning run come to an end lightly on such a grand stage.
Indeed, Napoli’s 4-0 victory against Sassuolo on Saturday extended their winning run to a remarkable 13 matches in all competitions, with Luciano Spalletti‘s side appearing to be one of the best teams in Europe this season, at least on current form.
Their 3-0 win against Rangers last week took their record in this season’s Champions League to five wins from five matches, having scored a remarkable 20 goals across those victories, which is four more goals for than any other team in this season’s group stage.
Liverpool will remain without Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip and Arthur due to long-term injuries, while Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were not named in the Reds’ Champions League squad due to having major muscle issues themselves.
With an important league game against Tottenham Hotspur ahead of them on Sunday, Klopp may be considering making changes for the visit of Napoli, with James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Ibrahima Konate likely to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Joe Gomez in the starting XI.
Napoli, meanwhile, are likely to travel without Salvatore Sirigu and Amir Rrahmani due to muscle strains, while Matteo Politano is only one booking away from incurring a one-match suspension in this competition and could therefore be rested.
Likewise, Victor Osimhen – who scored a hat-trick in his side’s 4-0 win against Sassuolo at the weekend – may not be risked having struggled with injury himself this season, with Giovanni Simeone potentially leading the line after bagging a brace against Rangers last week.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Milner, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliott, Henderson, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Carvalho
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Kim, Rui; Ndombele, Lobotka, Elmas; Lozano, Simeone, Raspadori
the Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest was a surprise, the subsequent loss to Leeds will have been a huge concern within the Liverpool camp. For a team that was competing on all fronts last season, the same cannot be said for this.
The intensity that has served Liverpool so well in the past is no longer there. Although there is still plenty of quality throughout the starting XI, players such as Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are not hitting the same level as before.
With Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen quickly becoming household names, they would love nothing more than to find the scoresheet on Tuesday. With the form they are in, we wouldn’t put it past them, either.
Napoli has certainly been the surprise act of the season so far. With that said, their current standing is not because of a fluke. Not only are they ruthless in attack, but they are also miserly at the other end.
Even with the departure of Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea, the Serie A side have not lost a step at the back. If anything, they have become even stronger this season, breeding confidence in the rest of the team.
With Napoli averaging four goals scored per Champions League game, Liverpool supporters may be wincing before kick-off. However, Anfield has overseen plenty of magical European nights in the past. Their fans will hope more magic is just around the corner.
In terms of injury news, the hosts have no new names to add to their current list. While the visitors make the trip without Amir Rrahmani and Salvatore Sirigu on the plane.
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Liverpool 2-2 Napoli
After suffering a humbling defeat at the end of Matchday 1, Liverpool would love nothing more to exact revenge on Matchday 6. However, with Napoli acting as their previous torturers, such a feat will be easier said than done.
With a perfect record in the Champions League, this Napoli side has been a huge breath of fresh air. Not only are they conquering the continent, but they are also five points clear at the top of Serie A.
This momentum will be difficult for Liverpool to deal with. Although they will look to bounce back after an embarrassing loss to Leeds, their defense will come under scrutiny once again.
Therefore, a score draw looks likely in my opinion. An ideal result for the visitors, not so much for the hosts.