Liverpool's Champions League campaign hangs in the balance as they face do-or-die tie against Napoli

Aditya Devavrat 21:26 10/12/2018
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  • Napoli defeated Liverpool in the reverse fixture.

    Liverpool go into their final Champions League group stage game against Napoli with their hopes of qualifying for the knockout round hanging in the balance.

    In third place in their group, Liverpool need to win either 1-0 or by two clear goals to qualify, with any other result enough to take Napoli through in their stead.

    Newly installed as Premier League leaders after this weekend’s results, Jurgen Klopp’s side now face another reckoning against Carlo Ancelotti’s well-drilled Napoli.

    Here’s a look at the talking points ahead of the game.

    SEASON OF FINE MARGINS FOR LIVERPOOL

    There is a very real possibility that come Tuesday night, Liverpool will have gone from moving to the top of the Premier League to being knocked out of the Champions League within the space of a little over three days.

    It is that kind of season for Liverpool. The loss to Real Madrid in last year’s final added pressure on this side, and manager Jurgen Klopp, with the club’s lack of trophies under the German still a point of concern.

    Being drawn in a group with Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli always meant their passage to the next round would be tricky this season, but having beaten the Parisians in their opening fixture, nobody would have expected them to head into the final round of this stage as Group C’s third-placed team.

    Napoli have the best defensive record in the group – including a clean sheet against Liverpool at home. And though they have scored only seven goals in five group games so far, they’re Serie A‘s joint-leading scorers. In an effort to make the round of 16, the Reds could find themselves chasing goals at some stage in this encounter, leaving themselves vulnerable to Napoli’s attack.

    For Liverpool, this week could demonstrate the fine margins between triumph and disaster.

    FBL-ENG-PR-BOURNEMOUTH-LIVERPOOL

    NAPOLI MUST BE FANCYING THEIR CHANCES

    Napoli prepared for this game in much the same way Liverpool did – by getting a 4-0 win, though against their league’s 19th-placed side, Frosinone, not quite the same as beating Bournemouth away.

    That form – and Napoli’s Champions League campaign so far, which includes two draws against PSG along with that win over Liverpool – should mean that a trip to Anfield will hold no fear, big European nights and legendary atmosphere and all.

    They have an answer to Liverpool’s famed front three, as well. Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, and Arkadiusz Milik have each scored seven Serie A goals. Milik’s scoring rate of a goal every 104 minutes is better than that of Cristiano Ronaldo and the league’s top scorer, Krzyszstof Piatek.

    The Reds have been earning praise for their defensive record this season, but it hasn’t been so solid in the Champions League – just one clean sheet from five games, and that was at home to Red Star Belgrade.

    It’s another sign that this game is unlikely to finish 1-0, and Napoli won’t be fazed by the prospect of a high-scoring shootout. And their own defensive resilience has already been on show this season. Quietly, they’ll fancy their chances at Anfield.

    SSC Napoli v Frosinone Calcio - Serie A

    SALAH HITTING FORM AT THE RIGHT TIME

    Mohamed Salah‘s form this season had come under question. There was no better way to answer it than with a hat-trick that sent Liverpool top of the league. He also became the second player to hit double figures in the Premier League this season.

    Not so long ago, Salah was considered the biggest threat to the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi over the Ballon d’Or. In May, a few would have predicted that their hold over the award be broken, but Salah wouldn’t be the man to do it.

    Perhaps the exertions of last season’s extraordinary campaign, and then the World Cup, were behind his slow start to the season, but it seems he’s getting into his stride.

    Salah’s form has come at the perfect time, as the Reds’ chances for a first Premier League title in 26 years have gotten a boost – but first, they need to avoid a disappointing group-stage exit in the competition that has given Liverpool its status as one of football’s biggest clubs.

    Napoli’s defence contained Salah well in the reverse fixture, leading him to put in one of the most understated performances of his Liverpool career in the 1-0 loss. But since that result, the Egyptian has continued to improve, and now he has the chance for revenge on both a personal level and for the team.

    AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool FC - Premier League

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