Late at 4:00 am today, Champions League In the last round of the group stage, two teams that have already qualified in advance in Group A will usher in the ultimate showdown.
On September 7 this year, in the first round of the Champions League group stage, Napoli gave Liverpool a wake-up call 4:1 at home, and Reds encountered the opening goal of the new season's Champions League match.
In that game, Napoli obviously entered the state faster. In just 5 minutes of the game, Zelinsky helped Napoli open his goal account. In the following 31 points, 44 minutes, 47 minutes, Angisa, Simeone and Jelinsky scored 3 more goals, and locked the victory of this game 4:0 in advance. This game was the first time in Liverpool's team's history that the number of goals conceded in 4 in the Champions League group stage and knockout stage in a single game.
After the game, in Liverpool's starting lineup, except for Diaz who scored 7 points, Arnold , Van Dijk , Elliott , Salah and Firmino all scored only 4 points, while Milner and Gomez only scored 3 points. After the game, Liverpool coach Klopp said in an interview with the media: "We have never really participated in the game. We are not active, whether it is defense or offense, we are too relaxed." Perhaps Klopp's comment represents the team's true state in the game, but even the head coach doesn't know how it happened.
Although Liverpool maintained a complete victory in the next four rounds of the Champions League group stage, they were struggling in the Premier League arena. Especially the just-concluded Premier League 13 and 14 rounds lost to the newly promoted team Nottingham Forest and the relegation team Leeds United , which put Liverpool's current ranking in the league in jeopardy. Liverpool has only won 16 points after 12 games, which is half the difference from the top team Arsenal . Objectively speaking, it is difficult for the league to compete for four.
returned to home today to face Naples, the first opponent in the Champions League group stage. This is not only the team's first battle, but also the battle of honor. Today's Italian media La Gazzetta dello Sport used a big title - Spaletti frightened the Reds. The Italian media is really not alarmist. Napoli seems to have cheated this season, winning all 5 games in the Champions League group stage, and only tied with Fiorentina and Lecce in 12 rounds of the league. They maintained a complete victory in the other 10 games. Moreover, in the 12 league games, there were 5 wins and 1 draw at home and away games. This data shows how strong Napoli’s impact is.
If you lose this game again, Klopp will probably be worried about being dismissed.
So if Liverpool wins the game, can they get the first place in the group?
Currently, Naples ranks first with 15 points, while Liverpool ranks first with 12 points. Napoli has a goal difference of 16, and Liverpool has only 9 goals difference, which means that as long as Liverpool wins Napoli 4-0, they can qualify for the first place in the group.
But this score is very difficult. Therefore, Liverpool's safer approach is to ensure that they do not concede the ball and win the opponent. If they can hit 3:0, it will help the team recover their morale to the greatest extent.
How will Klopp and his Red Army perform tonight?
