Anfield forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering top-table Champions League Group A six-pointer between out-of-sorts Liverpool and high-flying Napoli.
Leeds United inflicted yet another devastating loss on Liverpool at the weekend, halting their eye-catching 15-game unbeaten home streak in all competitions (W11, D4). That was the last thing under-fire manager Jurgen Klopp needed ahead of Napoli’s visit, though his team’s progression into the knockouts saved his job for the time being. Despite guiding the ‘Reds’ to the Champions League round of 16 in all his six attempts en route to setting the club’s longest-ever run of consecutive qualifications, the German boss is not off the hook. Keen to avenge a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Napoli on matchday one, Klopp will be desperate to end Liverpool’s two-match losing home run against Italian visitors in the Champions League and avoid leading them to an unwanted piece of history. The ‘Reds’ have never lost three straight home Champions League games against Italian opposition.
On the other hand, Napoli put fellow Serie A rivals Sassuolo to the sword over the weekend, cruising to a landslide 4-0 home victory to make it 13 successive wins on the spin across all competitions. After becoming the first-ever Italian side to smash a 20-goal barrier in the Champions League group phase, ‘I Partenopei’ will be out to record their maiden European triumph away to English side at the 12th time of asking (D3, L8). This season’s most prolific team in the Champions League can still surrender the top spot in Group A should they succumb to a 4+ goal-margin defeat in England, which looks a bit far-fetched. Adding to this sentiment, you’d have to go back to late April for Napoli’s last competitive loss on hostile turf, with Luciano Spalletti’s rampant side going unbeaten on ten consecutive travels since (W9, D1), including six wins in a row.
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