Liverpool will entertain Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday night hoping to secure a positive result in front of their home supporters. The Reds have to earn a win with a 1-0 scoreline or any victory by two clear goals if they want to book a place in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
However, it won’t be an easy feat to claim maximum points while up against a well-drilled Napoli side coached by none other than Carlo Ancelotti. The Merseyside team will probably line up in a 4-3-3 formation to counter the Serie A giants’ 4-4-2 set-up.
Both teams met in a feisty affair at Naples earlier this season where Ancelotti’s men came out on top by a narrow 1-0 scoreline. So the Reds will be looking to get some revenge as they look to qualify at the expense of their opponents on Tuesday night.
Team News
Liverpool
Dejan Lovren is a significant concern for this game as he is currently recovering from a concussion. The likes of Joe Gomez, Nathaniel Clyne, Dominic Solanke and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain long-term casualties. Jurgen Klopp could opt to start with Sadio Mane in place of Xherdan Shaqiri after the Senegalese speedster was given a rest against Bournemouth last weekend.
Napoli
Vlad Chiriches will miss the major chunk of this season with a cruciate ligament injury while Simone Verdi is also out with a muscle problem. Other than that, Ancelotti will have a full squad of players to choose from for this encounter.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool
Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Naby Keita, Fabinho, James Milner; Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah
Napoli
David Ospina; Mario Rui, Kalidou Koulibaly, Raul Albiol, Elseid Hysaj; Piotr Zielinski, Marek Hamsik, Allan, Jose Callejon; Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne
Key Men
Liverpool
Mohamed Salah scored a hattrick against the Cherries last Saturday which will give him a lot of confidence going into this crucial Champions League clash. So a lot will rest on the shoulders of the ‘Egyptian King’ as he looks to save Liverpool’s Champions League campaign by scoring some decisive goals versus Napoli in midweek.
Joel Matip also needs to have a good game alongside Van Dijk as the home team cannot afford to let Napoli score on the night.
Napoli
Both Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne will be Napoli’s biggest threat going forward. However, the central defensive partnership between Kalidou Koulibaly and Raul Albiol will be tested in midweek, so they need to pass those tests with flying colours if the Italian outfit are to qualify for the next round.
Odds
Liverpool win – 8/13
Draw – 7/2
Napoli win – 9/2
