Group K leaders Liverpool travel to Naples to take on Napoli in Europa League
Amid an ownership dispute, and a dismal league record, Liverpool currently sit atop their Europa League group with four points from two matches. They will look to give their fans something to cheer about as they take on Napoli, in Naples, in Europa League
play on Thursday October 21.
Recent Form
It would be hard for things to get any worse for Liverpool who have not won a match in the English Premier League since they beat West Brom back in August. Most recently Liverpool were undone in the Mersey Side derby falling 2-0 to Everton over the weekend.
Despite their terrible league form Liverpool have managed a small measure of success in the Europa League this season. They scored a huge victory at Anfield against Romanian side Steaua Bucharest winning 4-1 while sitting many of their regulars. They also
traveled to the Netherlands to take on Utrecht where they earned a hard fought 0-0 draw.
Napoli, unlike Liverpool, have got off to a very good start in their domestic league and currently sit in fourth place with 12 points from seven matches. However, Napoli have yet to play any of the teams currently in the top five in Serie A meaning their
toughest tests are still to come.
Napoli have only managed two draws so far in Europa league play. They played to a tight 0-0 draw at home to Utrecht on match day one. In their second match, Napoli found themselves down 3-0 after just 16 minutes when they traveled to the Romanian capital
to take on Steaua. But Napoli fought back and snatched an improbable 3-3 draw when Edinson Cavani scored in the eighth minute of time added on.
Previous meetings
This will be the first meeting between the two sides with this being the first English opposition that Napoli will ever face. Liverpool's record against Italian sides is seven wins, four draws, and 10 losses.
Players to watch
Liverpool are led by their captain Steven Gerrard who has three goals in the English Premier League this season. Normally, one would expect Liverpool's scoring to come from the boot of Spanish international striker Fernando Torres, but Torres' form this
season has been abysmal. He has only one goal in the Premier League this season, none in the Champions League, and has been a non-factor in most of the games he has played in this season.
Napoli are led up front by Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani who is tied for the goal scoring lead in Serie A, with Inter Milan's Samuel Eto'o, with six goals. He is well supported in midfield by Slovakian international Marek Hamsik who has three goals in
Serie A. Each have a goal in the Europa League so far this season as well.
What to expect
Liverpool are a team in real crisis, and despite their early success in the Europa League, they are on the verge of crumbling and falling out of contention in every competition. They are also finally coming up against some real competition in the Europa
League against a side favored to progress to the next round.
Napoli will win easily 3-0.
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