Napoli vs Liverpool: TV channel, live stream, team news & preview

Liverpool begin their defence of the Champions League trophy on Tuesday with a trip to Napoli’s San Paolo.

It was against the Italians that the Reds had their first crisis point in the competition last season, but a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Serie A side in December carried them through the group stage when anything else would have seen them crash out.

Although this encounter is unlikely to provide the same drama and tension, Jurgen Klopp will be eager for his team to get off to a strong start at a venue they know will be inhospitable.

TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!

In the United States (US), the game can be watched  live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

In the UK, the match will be shown on BT Sport 2 and can be streamed via BT Sport Live.

Squads & Team News

Arkadiusz Milik returns for Napoli, who are without Elseid Hysaj due to injury and Gianluca Gaetano, who will be with the team for the UEFA Youth League.

Possible Napoli starting XI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Rui, Callejon, Allan, Ruiz, Insigne, Lozano, Mertens

Liverpool are without last season’s unlikely Champions League hero Divock Origi, who picked up a twisted ankle at the weekend. He will miss one or two weeks. Rhian Brewster has taken his place in the squad.

Andy Robertson should be fine after sustaining a slight problem at the weekend, but both Naby Keita and Alisson are still out.

Liverpool starting XI: Adrian; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Milner, Salah, Firmino, Mane

Betting & Match Odds

Napoli are 2/1 outsiders, despite home advantage, with  bet365 . Liverpool are on offer at 5/4, while Jurgen Klopp's side are 13/5 to leave Italy with a point.

Click here to see all of bet365's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Match Preview

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Liverpool begin their quest to emulate Real Madrid as the only teams to defend their Champions League title with a difficult trip to Napoli on Tuesday.

The Reds have started the Premier League season in blistering form, winning their opening five matches and setting a string of records as they have charged to summit of England’s top flight.

Jurgen Klopp, who watched his side battle past Newcastle 3-1 at Anfield on Saturday, would not be drawn into saying his side are the best on the continent at present, however.

“There are a lot of good teams out there and you have to prove that constantly,” the former Dortmund boss warned.

“We cannot be the best team in Europe because Manchester City are the best team in the world - that's the same planet, I heard.

“Last season, we were really good. I'm not too sure we were the best team in Europe, but we were really good in the right moments and that's why we won the Champions League.”

This refusal to rest on last season’s success has been passed onto the squad, with captain Jordan Henderson echoing his manager’s thoughts at the dawn of a fresh European campaign.

“Last season was last season,” he said. “We can take experience from the campaign and, if we can take that into this campaign, ultimately we feel we can still do a lot of things better and everything is possible again.”

Meanwhile, the experience against Napoli last season shows how tough this match will be for the defending champions.

“We learned from one game to the next game and we have to use that experience, because if we don't defend with all we have then we have no chance against Napoli. They are so strong,” Klopp explained.

“They are stubborn in a positive way. They play football, they break lines, they have good counter-attacks, they are creative. I enjoy it when I analyse Napoli. I like to watch them.”

Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti, who has seen his team score nine times in three games this season but equally concede seven, believes that it will be a strong side the Reds have to face this time around.

“We’ve grown because we’ve added more quality to their squad,” he argued before reflecting upon last season’s 1-0 victory over the Reds in Naples.

“It’ll be a hard-fought match as we’ll be facing the best team in Europe. We hope to get the same result as last season.

“As for formation, we mustn’t distort our identity and idea. We must take inspiration from the good things we’ve done and the problems we’ve been faced with.

“We defended very well against them last season, and the defensive aspect is very important in games like these.

“I expect a team capable of defending when necessary, attacking when the opportunity arises and keeping the ball when needed. We’ll need the perfect game.”

Napoli blew away Klopp’s side at home last season, despite Lorenzo Insigne’s goal coming in the last minute. They will not have it so easy this time around against a more mature unit, bubbling with confidence.