S.S.C Napoli vs Liverpool F.C.- Match Preview
Liverpool reenter the Champions League fray tomorrow night when they take on Napoli in the Stadio San Paolo for match day four of this seasons Champions League. The Reds will hope to build on their last performance when they took all three points in their encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.
Following two hard fought matches against fellow Premiership challengers Chelsea which ended with a loss and a draw, Liverpool shall surely seek to return to winning ways.
Napoli will be hoping for the same as they were on the wrong end of 3-1 defeat to Juventus at the weekend. Gli Azzurri are currently second in Serie A so this will be no easy task for their visitors.
Team Selection
Liverpool will be at full strength for this match. I don’t see Jürgen Klopp making any changes for this game. There may be a chance that Daniel Sturridge gets the nod ahead of Mo Salah following his two wonder strikes against Chelsea.
Gini Wijnaldum has revealed one thing that has surprised him about Daniel Sturridge. #LFC #NAPLIV https://t.co/rWphia7wTq
— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) October 2, 2018
The manager has made no secret of his intention to rotate the squad. For me? I’d throw Sturridge in on the basis of his current form. Expect an appearance from Xherdan Shaqiri also as the Swiss continues to impress as a substitute. His defensive frailties are the only thing preventing him from a start right now. Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rhian Brewster remain the only injury doubts.
Napoli do not have many injury concerns either, as Faouzi Ghoulam and Alex Meret back in training according to Teamfeed.co.uk. With the wily old Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, we can expect the hosts to sit back and counter. To the contrary of ex-boss and current Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri. By all accounts Ancelotti has failed to settle on a preferred eleven so we’ll see who lines up tomorrow.
Betting Summary
The best odds at the time of writing are Liverpool 6/5 for the win and Napoli 5/2. The draw is currently 11/4 so the bookies clearly expect a winner at those prices. For the gamblers among you, this UCL tracker shows how each team’s odds fluctuate throughout the season, and right now the Liverpool is at +700 occupying the fifth place on the table, position we believe will remain after tomorrow’s game agaist Napoli.
Seeing as Napoli could only draw at Red Star Belgrade, Liverpool should be slight favourites. Especially as they head Group C following their last-minute win in match day two. Tomorrow though is another day against another team.
Summary
I’m not sure which way to lean for this one. My Italian colleague (who I’m going to watch the match with incidentally) is pretty non-committal but has a look of confidence in his eye.
In any case, he knows it’s going to take one hell of a performance from Napoli to beat Liverpool tomorrow. If there’s anything Klopp has achieved at Liverpool is to instil a belief and will to win in his players which makes them very difficult to beat.
Liverpool's Jurgen #Klopp laughs off Carlo Ancelotti's praise as mind games ahead of #uefachampionsleague clash against Napoli. #NAPLIV https://t.co/dVkp4kvH9a pic.twitter.com/UsFe5RVSt8
— The National Sport (@NatSportUAE) October 2, 2018
As I said in the PSG prematch, this Liverpool team are a match for anyone and Napoli are going to have to be at their best to come out on top. A win for the Reds would certainly put them in the driving seat in this group.
Follow us on:
Twitter: @TheLFCFile
Facebook: @thelfcfile
