Liverpool kick off the defence of their UEFA Champions League crown tonight in Italy.
The full match squad is as follows:
Starting eleven – Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Salah, Mane, Firmino.
Substitutes – Kelleher, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Shaqiri.
Having made a blistering start to the English Premier League season, winning five games from five, the Reds are now looking to again stamp their authority on the continent.
Napoli pose a tough test though, as Liverpool can attest to after last season’s campaign.
The Serie A side were one of the teams to beat Klopp’s side in last season’s Champions League, winning 1-0 at home during the group stage.
Liverpool of course managed the same scoreline at Anfield, but it’s evidence enough that a positive result tonight will be well earned.
The Italians also picked up a victory against the visitors during a pre-season match in Edinburgh.
Defender Virgil van Dijk has warned of the ability Napoli have, telling UEFA.com: “They have a fantastic squad with fantastic players and overall, in the Champions League, anything can happen. And obviously everyone wants to beat us as well. We have to be ready.”
No surprise then that the Reds boss has named a strong lineup for the encounter.
Roberto Firmino, rated as worth £72m by Transfermarkt, comes back into the side as a starter having been named on the bench vs Newcastle. As evidenced by his devastating substitute appearance in that match, he’ll be a key performer tonight.
The Brazilian has the ability to pull all the strings in the Liverpool attack, allowing others such as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to flourish, both of whom also start.
Andy Robertson has also recovered from a weekend knock to take his place in the eleven, bolstering Klopp’s defensive line.
Napoli, who have won two of their three league matches at the start of the season, will likely prove tough to break down so the Reds will need to be at their best to pick up all three points.
A draw could be seen as a decent result to kick off their group stage bid without any drama.
Can Klopp’s side show everyone exactly why they are European champions?
It’s set to be a fascinating evening.
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