Liverpool Vs Napoli Football Match Score 2 November 2022
That hardly seems likely given Liverpool’s indifferent recent form which has seen them lose back to back games against sides in the Premier League’s bottom three. Instead, this might simply be a match to drag themselves out of their tailspin. Here is how you can watch the game and what you need to know: Liverpool: Back to back losses against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United suddenly mean that involvement in the Champions League beyond next season is not the guarantee it usually is. Crysencio Summerville’s late winner at Anfield, one which ended an undefeated top flight run at Anfield dating back 30 games, brought sleepless nights for Klopp, who has challenged his side to show fighting spirit against Napoli. Top spot may be beyond them but do not expect a weakened Liverpool side on Tuesday night.
Klopp said: “For sure we will not take risks, but we cannot – if you watch football a little bit, international football, then you would probably know, or will know, that Napoli is in incredible shape, plays incredible football, top of the table in Italy, maybe the team in form in Europe at the moment. So, this is not a game for massive rotation, probably, it’s not about that we have to win 4-0 or whatever to go top of the group. We want to win the game, obviously, that’s clear. But the result in the moment is not really important. I have to make the line-up later today, maybe tomorrow morning – we will see – and then we go from there.”
Napoli: On the day that the club unveiled a statue of Diego Maradona (replete with golden left boot) outside that stadium that bears his name, the current iteration fo the Napoli side offered another indication that the glorious years they shared with the Argentina might be here against as they crushed Sassuolo. Suddenly there is belief that this might be a team for the history books with managerial great Arrigo Sacchi comparing them to some of the best teams in Italian and European footballing history.
Liverpool must beat Napoli by four or more goals if they are to leapfrog them into top spot in Group A when their Champions League group stage concludes on Tuesday night. The visitors, meanwhile, are aiming to maintain their 100% record in this season’s Champions League. Liverpool booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the sixth successive season under Jurgen Klopp by beating Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam last week. The Reds were on the back foot for much of the first half before Mohamed Salah’s goal against the run of play broke the deadlock three minutes before half time, with strikes from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott after the break sealing their team’s progression to the last 16. However, Klopp’s side’s inconsistent season continued with a 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, with Crysencio Summerville sending the away fans into raptures with a dramatic winner with only one minute of normal time remaining.
The defeat was the first time that Virgil van Dijk has lost on home turf in the Premier League since joining the club in January 2018, while ending Liverpool’s five-and-a-half-year unbeaten run in the league in front of a full capacity crowd at Anfield. With the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain looking like potential group winners, Klopp would love to avoid facing any of them in the last 16 by beating Napoli by three or more goals on Tuesday, but on current form that is a very tall order. Indeed, Napoli’s 4-0 victory against Sassuolo on Saturday extended their winning run to a remarkable 13 matches in all competitions, with Luciano Spalletti’s side appearing to be one of the best teams in Europe this season, at least on current form.
Their 3-0 win against Rangers last week took their record in this season’s Champions League to five wins from five matches, having scored a remarkable 20 goals across those victories, which is four more goals for than any other team in this season’s group stage. However, with top spot not quite assured for them yet despite being in a strong position in terms of their to head-to-head record with Liverpool having beaten them 4-1 on matchday one, Spalletti will be urging his players to send out a statement by piling on the misery for Klopp’s men. While a draw or even a narrow defeat would be no disaster given that their hard work has arguably already been done in terms of their Champions League campaign, the Neapolitans will not want to see their winning run come to an end lightly on such a grand stage. Liverpool will remain without Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip and Arthur due to long-term injuries, while Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were not named in the Reds’ Champions League squad due to having major muscle issues themselves.
With an important league game against Tottenham Hotspur ahead of them on Sunday, Klopp may be considering making changes for the visit of Napoli, with James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Ibrahima Konate likely to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Joe Gomez in the starting XI. Napoli, meanwhile, are likely to travel without Salvatore Sirigu and Amir Rrahmani due to muscle strains, while Matteo Politano is only one booking away from incurring a one-match suspension in this competition and could therefore be rested. Likewise, Victor Osimhen – who scored a hat-trick in his side’s 4-0 win against Sassuolo at the weekend – may not be risked having struggled with injury himself this season, with Giovanni Simeone potentially leading the line after bagging a brace against Rangers last week. Second welcome first to Anfield in the final round of Champions League games with Liverpool almost certain to finish runners-up in Group A. To leapfrog the Serie A leaders, Jurgen Klopp’s side would need to win by a margin more emphatic than the 4-1 thumping they suffered at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the opening round of matches.
