The top of Group A is on the line as Napoli travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.
Liverpool FC
Since the loss to Napoli, Liverpool have been excellent in the Champions League, winning all four matches by a combined score of 14-2. However, it’s been an altogether different story domestically.
After their dramatic loss to Leeds United on Saturday, Liverpool find themselves in 9th position in the EPL table. Since visiting the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the Reds have two wins, one draw, three losses and two matches postponed (against Wolves and Chelsea). ne of the wins was against Manchester City, but one of the losses was to Nottingham Forest.
SSC Napoli
Napoli have continued to roll under the guidance of Luciano Spalletti, earning their 13th consecutive win in all competitions on Saturday against Sassuolo.
Victor Osimhen has scored six goals in four matches since returning from a muscle injury sustained in the first leg against Liverpool. He scored his first ever hat trick in club football against Sassuolo, the third of which was Napoli’s 30th goal in Serie A and 50th goal in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Georgian wonderkid Khvicha Kvaratskhelia continues to sparkle for the Partenopei, scoring a goal and tallying two assists against Sassuolo. Kvara is now up to eight goals and eight assists in all competitions.
With seemingly all of his players firing on all cylinders, Spalletti has continued to win matches while rotating his squad. He made six changes for each of the matches against Rangers and Sassuolo, allowing his players to stay fresh.
Injuries/Suspensions
Jürgen Klopp will be without two central midfielders and two left wingers for this match. Naby Keita and Arthur Melo are sidelined with hamstring and thigh injuries, respectively. Meanwhile, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota are both out for the balance of the calendar year, the former with a knee injury and latter with a calf injury.
For Napoli, Amir Rrahmani continues to recover from a thigh muscle injury that will keep him sidelined until 2023. Meanwhile, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa played his first match on Saturday since returning from a muscle injury. Salvatore Sirigu is also back in the squad after recovering from a muscle injury of his own.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Jürgen Klopp:
“If you watch international football a bit, then you would know that Napoli’s in incredible shape, plays incredible football, are top of the table in Italy, maybe the team in form in Europa at the moment. So this is not the game for massive rotation probably. It’s not about that we have to win 4-0 or whatever to go top of the group. We want to win the game, obviously, that’s clear, but the result in the moment is not really important.”
Luciano Spalletti:
“Liverpool are a very healthy team, let’s not be fooled by the result of the last game, which I saw well, as well as the previous ones. I find them the Liverpool of always. Then it is clear that if they miss ten goals in front of the goalkeeper and by chance all the moments go wrong, as in their last game, a result can be questioned. I will allow my players and will be available for them to miss every ball, but I will not be permissive about not playing the balls that come between their feet. We must play a fair, calm game, from the point of view of intentions. There will be times when we will have to be good at withstanding their quality and their speed in playing football. That fact of going from one side to the other also leads you to swerve. Whenever the ball is regained, I want to see the same intentions, because that will be our possible ticket out of this match in the right way.”
Previous Meetings
| September 7, 2022 | SSC Napoli | 4-1 | Liverpool FC |
| November 27, 2019 | Liverpool FC | 1-1 | SSC Napoli |
| September 17, 2019 | SSC Napoli | 2-0 | Liverpool FC |
| December 11, 2018 | Liverpool FC | 1-0 | SSC Napoli |
| October 3, 2018 | SSC Napoli | 1-0 | Liverpool FC |
Match Officials
Head Official: Tobias Stieler
Assistants: Christian Gittelmann and Mark Borsch
Fourth Official: Martin Petersen
VAR: Bastian Dankert and Fedayi San
