No win again for Liverpool at SSC?
Napoli host Liverpool in their Group A opener. The visitors reached the final of the last edition of the top flight but were beaten by Real Madrid in the match in Paris.
The upcoming pairing has also been played four times in the competition and the home side have a slight edge with two wins, one defeat and one draw.
In addition, Reds coach Jürgen Klopp has always recorded a defeat in his three CL visits to Napoli so far when coaching Liverpool and Dortmund!
For the next clash at Napoli’s Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and Liverpool, the forecast includes double odds in favour of the home side.
Napoli – Statistics & current form
SSC parted ways with Dries Mertens, the top scorer in the club’s history, before the season. The Belgian is now playing for Galatasaray in the Süper Lig and Lorenzo Insigne, another powerful striker, left for Toronto in the MLS.
However, these departures have not yet led to a collapse in the attack of coach Luciano Spaletti’s team. Instead, Nigerian Victor Osimhen and newcomer Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Georgia fill the gaps in the attack very well.
The latter attacker in particular has made an immediate impact as a newcomer. With four goals, the 21-year-old is currently second in the Serie A scoring charts.
It is mainly thanks to his performances that the home side currently boast the most goals in the Italian top flight and occupy no less than first place in the table.
Will Kvaratskhelia also strike in the top flight?
In his upcoming debut in the Champions League, he will certainly be particularly motivated. In view of this, the odds on a goal by Kvaratskhelia in the clash between Napoli and Liverpool are also worth considering.
The country’s two-time champions are also back in the top flight for the first time since the 2019/20 season. In total, it is the seventh time that the southern Italians have competed in the Champions League.
They can take heart from the fact that they have lost only one of their last twelve group matches in the competition (5-6-1). However, the only defeat of the “Azzurri” within this flashback was against their upcoming opponents in December 2018.
Predicted Napoli line-up:
Meret – Zambo Anguissa – Di Lorenzo – Demme – Elmas – Zielinski – Zerbin – Lobotka – Lozano – Kvaratskhelia – Osimhen
Last matches played by Napoli:
Serie A
04/09/2022 – Lazio Roma 1 – 2 SSC Napoli
01/09/2022 – SSC Napoli 1 – 1 Lecce
29/08/2022 – AC Florence 0 – 0 SSC Napoli
21/08/2022 – SSC Napoli 4 – 0 Monza
15/08/2022 – Verona 2 – 5 SSC Napoli
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
The Mersey side had a very successful group stage last season. All six games were played victoriously! However, no British team has ever managed a run of seven victories in group matches in the competition.
On the other hand, in their last twelve seasons in the Champions League, the visitors have lost their opening match only once (8-3-1). That defeat, however, was against their upcoming opponents.
Furthermore, the form of coach Jürgen Klopp’s team is capable of improvement. In the Premier League, the British runners-up have only two wins after six rounds of matches and most recently only managed a draw against Everton in the Merseyside derby.
Labour camp at Liverpool is well filled
One reason for the playing problems is the strained personnel situation. Various regulars such as Thiago or, most recently, Jordan Henderson have to miss out due to injuries.
In the offensive, the visitors will again rely on Mo Salah. The Egyptian scored seven goals for the 19-time English champions in the last group stage.
Only Ruud van Nistelrooy scored more goals (8) for Manchester United in 2004/05 for an English club during that competition.
Salah’s one assist also equals the club record of Steven Gerrard and James Milner in the Champions League, who lead the way with a dozen assists so far.
With that in mind, betting tips on another Mo Salah goal in the clash between Napoli and Liverpool are also worth considering.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Alisson – Gomez – van Dijk – Robertson – Alexander-Arnold – Elliott – Carvalho – Diaz – Nunez – Firmino – Salah
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Premier League
03/09/2022 – Everton 0 – 0 Liverpool FC
01/09/2022 – Liverpool FC 2 – 1 Newcastle
27/08/2022 – Liverpool FC 9 – 0 Bournemouth
23/08/2022 – Manchester United 2 – 1 Liverpool FC
16/08/2022 – Liverpool FC 1 – 1 Crystal Palace
Napoli – Liverpool Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The last time the clubs faced each other in the Champions League was two years ago. On that occasion, last season’s Serie A third-placed side prevailed 2-0 on home soil and a 1-1 draw could be observed at Anfield Road.
Furthermore, the clubs also met during the group stage in the 2018/19 season. Both matches ended with a 1-0 win for the respective hosts. The pairing also took place in the Europa League in 2010.
Napoli were held to a goalless draw at home and lost 3-1 at the two-time Champions League winners. Away from home, the British side have never won against SSC (0-1-2) and have not scored a goal.
Napoli – Liverpool Tip
In the showdown between Napoli and Liverpool, you can bet on a draw or a home win. The home side have made a very good start to the new Serie A season and remain in first place after a win at Lazio Roma last weekend.
On the offensive side, they have signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a striker who has immediately acclimatised to Napoli and has compensated very well for the departures of Mertens and Insigne.
The home advantage also speaks for the forecast: The “Reds” have never won in Naples and have not even scored a goal in their three attempts so far. Due to various absences, the guests are currently not performing at their maximum level.
This could already be observed in the Premier League in recent weeks, when Klopp’s team is only in seventh place after six rounds of matches. Of course, this is not a very satisfactory interim result for the runners-up. Therefore, in the Napoli vs. Liverpool match, our prediction at betting odds of 1.85 is that the Reds will not win the match.
