Napoli vs Liverpool Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News

Champions League holders Liverpool travel to the Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli in their opening game of this season's competition. The Reds head into the

Champions League holders Liverpool travel to the Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli in their opening game of this season's competition.

The Reds head into the clash in fine fettle, having earned their fifth successive Premier League victory thanks to a 3-1 win over Newcastle - goals from Sadio Mane (2) and Mohamed Salah sealing all three points.

Francesco Pecoraro/GettyImages

Napoli, meanwhile, cruised past Sampdoria 2-0 to record their second Serie A win of the season; Carlo Ancelotti's side showing their dominance in a performance that suggested they may well have the tools to fight Juventus for the league title.

With a fiery encounter in prospect, here's 90min's preview of the game.

Where to Watch

When is Kick Off?	Tuesday 17 September
What Time is Kick Off?	20:00 (BST)
Where is it Played?	Stadio San Paolo Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream?	BT Sport 2
Referee?	Felix Brych

Where to Buy Tickets

Tickets for the game are, as ever, available on both teams' official club websites, though membership is required in order to purchase. In terms of resale, both teams provide the option to make season tickets available for others to use, if a supporter is unable to attend the game themselves.

Team News

Napoli will be without flamboyant winger Lorenzo Insigne, as well as Arkadiusz Milik, after both picked up minor injuries. Their absence will be felt strongly by the Italians, with Insigne in particular a big miss for the Partenopei.

OLI SCARFF/GettyImages

Visitors Liverpool will still be without Alisson, as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury picked up on the opening day of the season.

Naby Keita again misses out with a groin injury, and Nathaniel Clyne remains a long-term casualty for Jurgen Klopp.

Potential Lineups

Napoli	Meret; Di Lorenzo, Koulibaly, Manolas, Rui; Allan, Zielinski; Callejon, Ruiz, Lozano; Mertens.
Liverpool	Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Head to Head Record

These two sides have faced each other twice in the Champions League, last year in the group stages, where both clubs managed to win 1-0 in their respective home matches.

Clive Brunskill/GettyImages

The latter fixture was a must-win for Liverpool and turned out to be a European classic despite the low scoreline as both sides played some brilliant attacking football. Mo Salah grabbed the winner in the first half, but it was a tight affair that could have easily gone in Napoli's favour.

The pair also faced off in the 2010 Europa League group stages, with Liverpool gaining the upper hand in those two encounters with a win and a draw.

Recent Form

Napoli have been impressive so far this season, winning two of their opening three Serie A fixtures. Their only slip-up has come against title rivals Juventus, and they were extremely unfortunate to lose as Kalidou Koulibaly's last-minute own goal handed I Bianconeri all three points.

Liverpool will have to be wary of the attacking threat posed by Ancelotti's men; Gli Azzurri being the top scorers in Serie A so far this season. They have, however, proven to be shaky at the back and only Sampdoria have conceded more so far this season.

Bobby's flick 😱
Mo's finish 🤩

Just, WOW! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dHlVZW5VQi

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 14, 2019

Jurgen Klopp's men are in fine form and are the only side in the Premier League to have a 100% winning record. Star duo Mane and Salah have continued their exceptional form, and alongside Roberto Firmino, pose a significant threat to Napoli's defence.

Unsurprisingly, Liverpool also have the best defensive record in the Premier League, spearheaded by UEFA Men's Player of the Year, Virgil van Dijk.

Here's a look at the two sides' last five results:

Napoli	Liverpool
Barcelona 2-1 Napoli (8/8)	Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea (5-4 Pens) (14/8)
Napoli 0-4 Barcelona (10/8)	Southampton 1-2 Liverpool (17/8)
Fiorentina 3-4 Napoli (24/8)	Liverpool 3-1  Arsenal (24/8)
Juventus 4-3 Napoli (31/8)	Burnley 0-3 Liverpool (31/8)
Napoli 2-0 Sampdoria (14/9)	Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle (14/9)

Prediction

With Genk and RB Salzburg also in this group, both sides know they can't afford too many slip-ups and have to lay down a strong marker. Therefore, the pressure is well and truly on for Tuesday's encounter.

Napoli looked in great nick on Saturday, though it is important to remember that Sampdoria are a shambles at present and are at the bottom of Serie A. They are prolific going forward, but compared to Liverpool's front three, they aren't as consistent.

PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages

As defending champions, Klopp's side are under pressure to deliver - and will have memories of last season's defeat fresh in their memories.

They will look to use that as motivation, and with Napoli looking suspect at the back, the Reds will feel they can take advantage of their opponents indifferent decision making. If they find their attacking groove, they should win well.

Prediction: Napoli 1-3 Liverpool