Napoli vs Liverpool: UCL Group Stage Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Dream11 Predictions

Napoli vs Liverpool is the upcoming match in UCL where Klopp's men travel to Naples to play against Italian giants Napoli in the opening fixture.

Napoli vs Liverpool: Match Preview:

Liverpool have had a disappointing campaign so far, and they are coming into this game on the back of a goalless draw against cross-town rivals Everton in a Premier League contest this past weekend. Liverpool have picked up just nine points from six Premier League matches so far, and Jurgen Klopp will demand massive improvement from his players in the upcoming matches.

Meanwhile, Napoli are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, and they come into this game on the back of a narrow 2-1 win over Lazio. The Serie A giants will look to make the most of Liverpool's inconsistencies and grind out all three points at home.

The Reds have struggled against weaker teams than Napoli this season, and this will be a tricky outing for them. Luciano Spalletti's charges have considerable firepower upfront, and they will look to hurt a porous Liverpool defence.

Napoli are currently at the top of the Serie A table, and they will look to do the same in their UEFA Champions League group as well. Meanwhile, Liverpool failed to beat Napoli home and away when the two sides were placed in the same group back in 2019/20, and they will have to improve considerably to get a positive result this time around.

Date, Location and Kick Off:

Napoli vs Liverpool will be played on 7th September at 12:30 PM IST. The venue for the match is the Stadio Diego Maradona.

Team News:

Napoli:

Napoli could be without the services of Hirving Lozano and Victor Osimhen due to injury blows this week. Both forwards are doubts for this game, and their absence will come as a substantial boost for a struggling Liverpool side.

However, Luciano Spalletti has options at his disposal, and the Napoli manager is expected to field the likes of Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori in the attacking unit. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is expected to complete the front three alongside the Italian duo. 

The midfield unit pretty much picks itself. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka and Piotr Zielinski are set to start for Napoli in the midfield three, with the trio aiming to contain Harvey Elliott and Mohamed Salah, in particular.

Spalletti is set to continue with his usual back four of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kim Min-jae and Mario Rui. Finally, Alex Meret will continue as the goalkeeper for Napoli against Liverpool on Wednesday.

Liverpool:

Liverpool will be without the services of Ibrahima Konate (knee) and Jordan Henderson (hamstring) due to their respective injuries. However, Thiago Alcantara has returned to training and is expected to play some part in the contest, although the Spaniard is not likely to start the game against Napoli.

Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been left out of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League squad, and they will play no part in the contest against Napoli either.

The return of Portuguese forward Diogo Jota will be a major boost for Liverpool as they look to get over their goalscoring problems. Jota returned to action in the Merseyside derby, and he should be fit to play on Wednesday.

Klopp is likely to continue with his usual back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson. Alisson Becker picks himself between the sticks for Liverpool against Napoli. 

Meanwhile, youngster Harvey Elliott is expected to start once again alongside Fabinho and James Milner, especially with Fabio Carvalho hobbling off the pitch against Everton this past weekend.

As for the front three, Klopp has a number of options after the return of Jota and Firmino. However, the Reds are expected to go ahead with the trio of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.

Napoli vs Liverpool: Head to Head:

The two teams have met eight times across all competitions, with six of them coming in UEFA competitions, while two of these meetings have been friendlies. The head-to-head record is even at the moment with three wins for either side and two games ending in draws.

Napoli are undefeated in their three games against the Merseyside club at home, recording two wins and playing out a draw. They last met in the group stage of the 2019-20 edition at Anfield, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.

Key Stats:

• Napoli have kept a clean sheet in their last three home matches against Liverpool in all competitions.
• Napoli have picked up two wins in their last three outings against Liverpool.
• Liverpool have failed to win four of their last six matches across all competitions.
• Napoli are unbeaten in four of the last five meetings against Liverpool. 
• Liverpool have conceded at least once in four of their last six matches this season.

Predicted Line-ups:

Napoli Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Rui; Lobotka, Zielinski, Zambo Anguissa, Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia

Liverpool Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Fabinho, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Diaz

NAP vs LIV: Dream11 Predictions: