Napoli VS Liverpool Match Prediction

Prior to Liverpool's 5-0 thumping at Anfield in the preseason, these two sides had only played twice before. Those games were in the 2010 Europa League group stage.  They drew 0-0 in Naples, and then Steven Gerrard's hat trick saw the Reds win 3-1 at Anfield.

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NAP vs LFC Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Napoli are at 12/5 to win, a draw is at 13/5, and a Liverpool win is at 21/20.

Napoli will come into this match off the back of a loss to Juventus on Saturday, but not everything is all bad for them.  While Serie A's title race may be over for them, and everyone else, they are still second on 15 points heading into Sunday, and they have looked much improved of late under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.  With him at the helm, they should be very strong in Europe, one of his major strong suits, so look for him to make Napoli into a bigger threat the further they go.  

Liverpool's season has begun about as well as they could have imagined.  They won their first six PL matches to lead the early English top flight standings.  A draw at Chelsea, rescued late on, means they slipped down to second, but it meant a lot to the team and will almost feel like a win to them having done it in such a way against a direct rival.  They also have that pulsating win against PSG to look back on already, so they are quite capable against big teams in Europe.  Be wary, however, of the fact that they have historically not traveled all that well to Italy in the past.

Both teams scoring is at 8/15 via Ladbrokes.

Betfair has Sturridge to score anytime at 2.4 odds.

Napoli vs Liverpool Prediction

This group contains four very tough places to go and play.  A team that wins at home and holds serve away is likely to win the group.  Napoli and Ancelotti are starting to gel, and that means Liverpool will have to cling on to grab a point.  

Correct Score Prediction: Napoli 2-2 Liverpool

Napoli Team News

Carlo Ancelotti will be without a trio of players for this fixture against the Reds at home.  Goalkeeper Alex Meret remains sidelined with a broken arm, while center back Vlad Chiriches and winger Amin Younes, two players that could make a difference, are out of the running.  Left back Mario Rui will face a suspension in Serie A, but he will be available to play here in this competition.

Napoli Key Man

For a while on Saturday, it looked like Napoli might once again make Serie A interesting and give us a title race after Dries Mertens scored to put them in the lead.  The Belgian striker has started the season a little slowly, and they will be hoping he can kick on starting here, especially after the 0-0 draw in Serbia.  Jose Callejon is another to watch.  The Spanish winger has already picked up three assists in Serie A play this term, and he will be a menace to a Liverpool side that love to get forward and don't always track back very well.

Napoli Team Form

Napoli have a loss, three wins, and a draw in their last five matches:

3-1 loss at Juventus
3-0 home win vs Parma
1-3 win at Torino
0-0 draw at Red Star Belgrade (UCL)
1-0 home win vs Fiorentina

Napoli Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-3-3

Liverpool Team News

Jurgen Klopp continues to miss out on midfielders Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain due to injury.  Striker Dominic Solanke and Divock Origi also are sidelined for them.  Other than that, Klopp now has a dilemma over which forwards to play due to Daniel Sturridge's recent form.

Liverpool Key Man

Because of Sturridge's form recently, he could and should start here.  He's scored in just about every match in which he has gotten a legitimate chance to do so thus far, and his goal against Chelsea shows that he might just be back at his best once again after so many years in the wilderness.  Goalkeeper Alisson is the other key man to watch.  The former Roma man will know what playing in Naples is all about, and it will be his job to marshal his side and to take the air out of the ball whenever possible.

Liverpool Team Form

Liverpool have a draw, a loss, and three wins in their last five matches:

1-1 draw at Chelsea
1-2 home loss vs Chelsea (EFL Cup)
3-0 home win vs Southampton
3-2 home win vs PSG (UCL)
1-2 win at Tottenham

Liverpool Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-3-3

The last time Liverpool faced Napoli, the Reds beat the Italians in an embarrassing way in preseason. They scored five goals that day, and they demonstrated what would take place in the coming months. Now, though, they have been through the ringer and still have a ways to go before coming out of it. Make no mistake, this Napoli side is starting to come together under Ancelotti. This will be no drubbing, and Liverpool would do well to come away with a point.

Liverpool have ten wins and ten losses (with seven draws) all-time against Italian opposition.