Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp face being on the wrong end of a new Italian club record against Napoli on Tuesday night.
The Reds play host to the Italian club at Anfield in their final group game with both sides already having qualified for the Round of 16. Napoli will almost certainly go through as group winners, as Liverpool must win by three goals or more to pip them to top spot in the group.
While the form of Klopp’s side has produced plenty of alarm – having fallen to successive Premier League defeats against Nottingham Forest and Leeds, two teams who started those matches in the division’s relegation zone – their opponents are the form side in Europe.
Napoli have won 13 successive matches across all competitions – with their 4-0 weekend win at home to Sassuolo equalling the previous record which was originally set by Max Allegri's Juventus from December 13, 2015 to February 13, 2016. Now, Luciano Spalletti’s are aiming to go one better – although they face the task of winning at Anfield.
Much has been made as Napoli as a free-flowing attacking side, having ripped apart Liverpool 4-1 in Naples and having bagged a total of 20 goals across their five European matches to date this campaign. With Victor Osimhen leading the attack supported by a depth of attacking talent including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giacomo Raspadori, Matteo Politano, Hirving Lozano and Giovanni Simeone – all of whom have hit top form simultaneously.
However, Napoli are much more than just a rip-roaring attacking team – they have a solid defence and a team structure which can equal anyone else in Europe right now. They have not conceded a goal in any of their last three matches, and the numbers behind that run are even more impressive.
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Spalletti’s side secured an impressive one-goal victory away to Roma last week in a victory which saw them not even concede a shot on target to Jose Mourinho ’s side. They followed that up by allowing Rangers just one shot in target in a comfortable victory in Naples three days later.
That will be a worry for Liverpool, who have managed to score just six goals in their last five matches in all competitions. Three of those came at Ajax last week but they have struggled to score goals consistently – drawing a blank at Nottingham Forest, while winning just one Premier League match this season when scoring more than once.
Napoli have already surpassed their previous club record (12) of successive wins which had been achieved when Diego Maradona starred for the club, and they now have their eyes set on a famous night at Anfield to secure the Italian record outright – and in style.
