LIVERPOOL have been looking a bit vulnerable so far this season so Napoli will fancy their chances in this Champions League opener with a partisan crowd roaring them on.
Jurgen Klopp's men couldn't find a way past Everton in Saturday's derby stalemate and have now won just three times in seven games, with injuries to key players having a big impact.
Having come so close to an unprecedented Quadruple last season, the Anfield giants have lost their mojo a little, despite clicking into top gear when they thrashed Bournemouth 9-0 to bring up a full house of tips for me.
They saved some of their best displays for Europe last season and Klopp will be hoping a Champions League return can spark his side back to life.
But the Group A opener is a tough assignment with Napoli sitting at the Serie A summit after an unbeaten start to the new season.
Luciano Spalleti had to overhaul his squad in the summer with stalwarts such as Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly and Fabian Ruiz moving on. But he looks to have invested the money wisely and Saturday's 2-1 win at Lazio made it three victories and two draws from their five outings.
Every point will be precious in a group that also contains Ajax and Rangers so Spalleti will be looking to take a draw at least from a Liverpool side in poor form.
How the bookies view it
I'm surprised to see Napoli as big as 56/19 with SBK and plenty of punters will fancy a nibble at that price. The Italian giants are also a decent 10/11 in the double chance market at Unibet. Liverpool's best price is evens at BetVictor while the draw pays 29/10 at Unibet.
Head to head
These sides have met six times in Europe and can't be separated with two wins apiece and two draws. Napoli had the edge when they met in the Champions League groups three years ago, winning 2-0 in Italy then drawing 1-1 at Anfield.
Players to watch
Georgian wonderkid Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been getting rave reviews for his performances this season and could get some joy against Liverpool's defence. The 21-year-old has netted four times already this term and is 7/2 at Unibet for anytime scorer.
Darwin Nunez caught Liverpool's eye with his performances for Benfica in the Champions League and should lead the line in Naples. The Uruguayan is always a threat and he's 17/10 at Unibet for a goal here.
Anything else catch the eye?
Liverpool have kept just two clean sheets all season so there should be goals in this one. But BTTS doesn't offer any value at 8/13 with SBK while over 2.5 goals is just 4/6 at QuinnBet. For better odds, I like over 1.5 first-half goals and it pays 17/11 with SportNation.
Franck Zambo picked up eight yellow cards last season and already has one to his name this term. The Napoli midfielder is worth backing for a card in this one but I've yet to see a price with Unibet only offering card bets on Liverpool players.
The same firm have some good stats bets and I like the 7/5 on offer for over 1.5 Mo Salah shots on target as the Egyptian will be desperate to score after three successive blanks.
This UEFA Champions League match between Napoli and Liverpool will be played on Sep 7, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Napoli vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
