Napoli host Liverpool in the second round of matches in Group C of the Champions League on Wednesday.
Here, Press Association Sport takes a closer look at the Serie A side.
European experience
The Italian club are in the group stage for the fifth time, all of which have come in the last eight seasons. They have progressed to the knockout phase just twice, dropping into the Europa League on three occasions. Their best performance came in reaching the last 16 in 2011-12 and 2016-17.
Napoli’s last home game against English visitors was a 4-2 defeat by Manchester City last season, their first at home to Premier League opponents in six encounters.
They won the UEFA Cup, their only European trophy, in 1989 inspired by one Diego Maradona.
Form
Five wins from seven matches has put them second in Serie A. Having not kept a clean sheet in their first three games they produced three in four in all competitions before Saturday’s defeat at Juventus, a result which already puts them six points behind the leaders.
Lorenzo Insigne has scored five times already this season, including three in his last three games, having scored just eight last season. Arkadiusz Milik has three goals in six league matches and is already closing in on his best Serie A performance (five, in the previous two seasons).
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti is a familiar face to Liverpool in Europe, having faced them as AC Milan coach in the Champions League finals of 2005 and 2007, losing the first and winning the second.
Ancelotti has faced Liverpool eight times, recording five wins and three defeats. He is one of only seven to have won the European Cup as a player and a coach and only the second manager after Liverpool’s Bob Paisley to win the trophy three times.
The Italian is well-travelled, having managed in all of Europe’s big five leagues, taking charge of heavyweights Juventus, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain in addition to Chelsea.
Players to watch
Marek Hamsik is the most recognisable name in the Napoli side – the only survivor of their 2010 Europa League meeting with Liverpool – and even at the age of 31 is still a special talent in the playmaker role, making 75 European appearances and scoring 15 goals.
The qualities of midfielder Piotr Zielinski made him a one-time target for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp not so long ago, while up front Belgium international Dries Mertens, Insigne and Milik have scored 10 goals between them so far this season – the same as Liverpool’s famed front three.
They also have former Real Madrid forward Jose Callejon in their ranks, although he is yet to open his account this season.
