Jurgen Klopp Liverpool EPL
Jurgen Klopp Liverpool

Liverpool dropped points once again in the Premier League, this time to arch-rivals Everton. Klopp’s men were held to a 0-0 draw but they will have no time to repent because they have a Champions League game to play.

Liverpool head to Italy to take on Napoli in their first group game on Wednesday night and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his players come up with a proper response.

While the Premier League side are struggling to pick up pace, Napoli on the other hand, are still unbeaten in the Serie A and they are currently sitting at the top of the table.

The last time these two sides met in the group stage was back in the 19/20 season and Liverpool surprisingly failed to win both legs. Last season, we would have put our money on the Reds to pick up an easy win but right now, they are really wobbly. It won’t be a surprise if Napoli manage to shock Liverpool and pick up all three points.

Liverpool team news vs Napoli:

Joel Matip started on the bench against Everton but he is definitely going to replace Joe Gomez in central defence. Konate remains sidelined with a knee injury and will only return after the international break.

Robertson has been underwhelming this season so there’s a big chance the manager is going to push him to the bench and bring Tomiyasu into the side.

The midfield is the area of concern for the manager and on top of that, Klopp has made some really bizarre decisions in terms of naming his Champions League squad.

The Liverpool manager has decided to keep Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita out of the 22/23 squad and this is a major issue because the likes of Henderson and Thiago are currently out with injuries.

Fabio Carvalho picked up a knock during the weekend but he should be fit to play in midweek.

The manager had said after the match: ‘It’s not bad. I think it is extremely painful, it is a dead leg on the muscle above the knee, and he couldn’t bend the knee anymore. We have to see how quickly that will settle.’

Thiago has returned to training but he is not expected to be fully fit to start the Napoli game which means late signing Arthur Melo and Harvey Elliott are expected to partner Fabinho in the three-man midfield.

Darwin Nunez has failed to make a mark since his big-money move and now that Firmino and Jota are both fully fit, the summer signing is running the risk of losing his place.

We think Nunez is going to lead the line against Napoli but he will have to shine from the very first minute or less Jurgen Klopp won’t think twice before replacing him.

Liverpool predicted line up vs Napoli:

Predicted Starting Line up(4-3-3): Alisson; Trent, Joel Matip, Van Dijk, Tomiyasu/Robertson; Elliott/Favio Carvalho, Fabinho, Arthur Melo; Mo Salah, Nunez/Firmino, Luis Diaz.

Liverpool predicted line up vs Napoli - UCL 22/23
Liverpool predicted line up vs Napoli – UCL 22/23

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