Napoli vs Liverpool preview | Klopp’s injury blow | Expected line-up’s | Prediction

Liverpool begin the defence of their Champions League trophy when they take on Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo tonight.

The Reds lifted the European Cup for the sixth time in their history with victory over Tottenham in Madrid back in May and Jurgen Klopp insists they are motivated to defend their trophy this season.

Liverpool will come into tonight’s game full of confidence having made the perfect start to the Premier League campaign with Saturday’s 3-1 comeback victory over Newcastle their fifth straight win which has seen them open up a five-point lead over Man City.

The Merseysiders have once again been drawn to face Napoli in the Champions League group stages and Klopp’s side lost this fixture 1-0 last year so they’ll be keen to come home with a more positive result this time around.

Team news

Liverpool have been handed a blow with the news that Divock Origi has missed the trip to Naples after suffering an ankle injury against Newcastle at the weekend. Rhian Brewster has been drafted into the squad to replace the Belgian hitman.

Andy Robertson has travelled but will require a late fitness test after missing training on Monday due to a knock while Alisson Becker (leg) Naby Keita (groin) and Nathaniel Clyne (knee) remain on the sidelines.

Klopp may look to freshen things up with Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Xherdan Shaqiri all pushing for recalls to the Liverpool starting eleven.

As for Napoli, they look set to be without Arkadiusz Milik as he’s struggling with a muscle problem but Lorenzo Insigne is expected to be fit after returning to training.

Expected line-ups

Prediction

Napoli 1-1 Liverpool: This was a tough game for Liverpool last season as they failed to register a single shot on target during the 1-0 defeat and I expect another close battle with Carlo Ancelotti’s men this time around. Napoli are usually strong at home and I think the main aim for Liverpool is to ensure they don’t lose. This should be a decent game but I’m going to sit on the fence and say the points will be shared.