The Reds – losing finalists last season – come into this one off the back of a tricky start in the Premier League which, after six matches, sees them on nine points and in seventh place.
Their opponents, meanwhile, are in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2019/20 and currently sit second in Italy’s top flight – on 11 points from five games.
Their last two Champions League campaigns, in fact, also saw the Gli Azzurri – then under Carlo Ancelotti – drawn in the same group as the Merseysiders.
In 2018/19, they won 1-0 at home and lost 1-0 at Anfield as they finished third in Group C behind Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool – only missing out on a knockout place due to scoring fewer goals than the latter, who went on to win that season’s competition.
‘19/20 then brought a 2-0 home success and well-earned 1-1 draw on Merseyside, which helped them to second spot, behind Klopp’s charges, in Group E.
Indeed, the Reds are yet to win in three trips to face Napoli – having also played out a 0-0 draw there in an October 2010 Europa League group stage meeting.
The road to the final on Saturday 10th June 2023, at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium – where Liverpool famously came from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win their fifth European Cup in 2005 – may look a long one at this stage, but both teams will be hoping to take a step in the right direction here.
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TEAM NEWS
Napoli
The hosts appear to have a virtually clean bill of health going into this one, although there have been a couple of doubts in the buildup.
Hirving Lozano was one of those, after he came off at half-time during Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Lazio, but Spalletti declared the Mexican winger available for selection within Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.
A larger concern appears to be Victor Osimhen, however. The Nigerian striker has seemingly been nursing a muscle issue since that win on Saturday.
Spalletti stated that the 23-year-old didn’t train at all on Monday, but that he trained separately on Tuesday and would join in with the group on Wednesday if he feels better.
As it happened, Spalletti addressed his own welfare at the start of Tuesday’s press conference, which he attended with his right arm in a sling and using a single crutch.
The 63-year-old explained that this was due to an accident that he was involved in on the way to the training ground on Sunday. He then travelled to Milan to see a specialist and subsequently had an operation on his arm on Monday.
Liverpool
The Reds have notably more injury issues to contend with at present. A notable plus, though, was the involvement of Thiago Alcântara in Tuesday’s training session – a month after he was forced off at Fulham with a hamstring issue.
The 31-year-old has travelled with the squad to Naples and that represents a welcome boost to Klopp’s midfield options.
Fellow recent returnees Joël Matip and Diogo Jota also trained and travelled on Tuesday, after they both returned to action as substitutes in Saturday lunchtime’s 0-0 draw at Everton.
Fábio Carvalho hasn’t travelled as he continues to recover from the dead leg that forced him off at half-time at Goodison Park – with Klopp saying in his own Tuesday press conference that the 20-year-old may be fit for the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Within that same briefing, the German also confirmed that Curtis Jones had suffered a recurrence of a stress injury – seemingly around the tibia bone – that has kept the 21-year-old out for most of the opening weeks of the season.
Alongside that, the manager said that Jordan Henderson was likely to return to action after the international break at the end of September. The captain had come off with a muscle issue during the second half of last Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Newcastle United.
Elsewhere, second-choice goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher and centre-back Ibrahima Konaté continue to work their way back from injury issues of their own.
While the decision to include neither Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nor Naby Keïta in the club’s squad for the group stage of the Champions League suggests that their respective injury absences may extend at least into early November, when the group stage is due to conclude ahead of the World Cup.
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LIKELY LINEUPS
Napoli (4-2-3-1)
1. Alex Meret; 22. Giovanni Di Lorenzo (C), 13. Amir Rrahmani, 3. Kim Min-jae, 6. Mário Rui; 99. André Zambo Anguissa, 68. Stanislav Lobotka; 11. Hirving Lozano, 20. Piotr Zieliński, 77. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; 9. Victor Osimhen
If Osimhen is indeed ready to start, there appears every chance that Napoli will stick with the team that began their impressive comeback win in Rome on Saturday.
Their shape can at times look more like a 4-3-3, with Zieliński likely to operate in an inside-left position – slightly ahead of Lobotka – relatively often. The Polish international can also be expected to regularly be the closest teammate to Osimhen, however.
The triangle of Zieliński, Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen has the potential to be a highly influential one.
Liverpool (4-3-3)
1. Alisson Becker; 66. Trent Alexander-Arnold, 2. Joe Gomez, 4. Virgil van Dijk, 26. Andrew Robertson; 19. Harvey Elliott, 3. Fabinho, 7. James Milner (C); 11. Mohamed Salah, 27. Darwin Núñez, 23. Luis Díaz
Despite the injuries, the Reds could arguably prove tougher to read in lineup terms.
There appears every chance that Alexander-Arnold and Robertson will start in their respective full-back positions, after the former was substituted just before the hour mark on Saturday and the latter was only himself introduced at that point.
The relative rhythm Gomez and Van Dijk have developed at centre-back may be worth maintaining, although Matip represents another good option.
Midfield offers further questions. Fabinho feels likely to start in his familiar deep role, and Elliott’s performances could well have helped to earn him a sixth consecutive start in that position on the right of the three.
If those two do keep their places from Saturday, Milner then arguably represents the most natural option to take the place to the left of Fabinho that Carvalho occupied on Saturday – given Thiago has only just returned to training.
If Klopp feels he is ready to start, though, Thiago may well go straight back in. Five substitutions offers further flexibility on that front, too. If that does prove the case, Milner may take the right-sided midfield role – potentially with the intention of offering Alexander-Arnold some additional support against the exciting Kvaratskhelia.
Similarly, the forward line feels like it could take several shapes. A repeat of Saturday – with a front-three of Salah, Núñez and Díaz – arguably looks the most likely approach. There could certainly be a case for Roberto Firmino starting, however, given the Brazilian’s recent good form and the extra numbers he could offer by dropping into midfield.
Jota also looked lively after coming on on Saturday, and the Portugal international has shown how effective he can be either centrally or from the left.
Bringing Díaz and Núñez off the bench might have the potential to prove even more productive than them starting.
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KEY PLAYERS
Napoli – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
The 21-year-old Georgian winger has enjoyed a brilliant start to his Napoli career.
After joining from Dinamo Batumi for around £8.6 million in the summer, he already has four goals and one assist is his first five Serie A appearances – four of them being starts.
The latest of those goals was the winner at Lazio on Saturday and there is understandable excitement surrounding him.
Dynamic, adept with both feet, a goal threat in the box or from range – he has the potential to again represent a substantial threat for the hosts in this one, especially on the break.
He has stepped into the left-wing position previously held by the brilliant Lorenzo Insigne with immense assurance.
How effectively Liverpool manage their right-hand channel – which can be exposed, on occasion – could well prove a key factor in deciding the direction of the contest.
Liverpool – Trent Alexander-Arnold
That context does arguably make Alexander-Arnold’s role all the more crucial – if, indeed, he starts.
Napoli are likely to press high and aggressively on at least a few occasions, and the 23-year-old can be superb at flipping those potentially dangerous situations into attacking opportunities with incisive forward passes or well-timed drives upfield.
The areas in which he operates will also potentially be key when possession is lost. Liverpool will likely want to avoid Alexander-Arnold or a teammate being too exposed or overloaded if the ball is efficiently shifted to Kvaratskhelia on the Reds’ right.
If the No.66’s personal display and the team structure allows him to have a considerable creative influence, while limiting Napoli’s openings, that ought to notably boost the chances of Klopp’s side securing a positive result.
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MATCH DETAILS
WHERE IS THE GAME BEING PLAYED?
The match is being played at Napoli’s Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – named after the late Argentinian icon who had such an impact during his time at the club from 1984 to 1991.
WHAT TIME IS KICK-OFF?
Kick-off is at 8pm BST.
HOW CAN I WATCH?
In the UK, the game is due to be broadcast live on BT Sport 2. Coverage is set to begin at 7pm BST.