"This is still Liverpool" is the view from Naples as the Reds begin their Champions League campaign tonight at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium against Napoli - a foe they know well in recent times.
The Reds and Napoli have had differing starts to their respective league campaigns with Liverpool sat in seventh in the Premier League and Luciano Spalletti's side are second in Serie A and remain unbeaten.
However, Napoli know all too well of Liverpool's strength in the Champions League as the two sides come to blows once again in the group stages. Napoli fan Raffaele Rispo spoke to the ECHO about the clash tonight.
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Q. Napoli are second in Serie A and unbeaten, are they aware of the poor start Liverpool have made to the season?
"Certainly, but while Napoli could be confident to an extent, manager Luciano Spalletti knows not to take Liverpool lightly. This is still Liverpool and Napoli are only returning to the big European nights with some Champions League debutants in the side. I’d be surprised if Napoli didn’t give Liverpool the respect they deserve on the pitch tonight."
Q. What was the reaction to the draw? Do Napoli think they can qualify from the group?
"Napoli have had some strange Champions League group stages in it’s history like the 12 point, 3rd place finish in 2013/14 and then there was the time they missed out on the knockout stage by the one and only result that would keep them out, a shutout loss vs Liverpool in 2018/19 (a 2-1 loss would have even seen them qualify).
"I think we Napoli fans can expect anything and be surprised at nothing. With that being said, I do think Napoli can expect to qualify from this group. I remember being very excited to play Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers as I have very close people in my life who are super fans of all three teams. I also took a moment after the initial excitement to realize how tricky this group can be, despite my optimism of emerging victorious and moving on.
"We’ve replaced the players who left us well, but so does Ajax year in and year out. Rangers are back from the dead, like Napoli were some 15 years ago, and were Europa League finalists last season. And notwithstanding the poor start, it’s still Liverpool, one of the top clubs in the world, that we have to face first!"
Q. Liverpool and Napoli have a history in recent years, is there a rivalry there from the Italians?
"No question we’re excited about this one. Napoli have had some pretty massive wins over Liverpool at home, as they’re unbeaten in Europe v Liverpool. There is an electric atmosphere in Naples right now. I’m a barber in New York and I’ve got a client/buddy on holiday walking the streets of Naples with his lady wearing a kit I gave them as we speak, and they’re being bombarded with compliments and being shouted “FORZA NAPOLI” at, to which I’ve instructed them to respond “SEMPRE”.
"They’re new fans of the sport and he supports Aston Villa, but talking Napoli up in my chair, he made it a p
oint to get to Lazio-Napoli in Rome and is now trying desperately to get in to the Maradona tonight to see Napoli-Liverpool. What a debut in Italy for him! A rivalry? I think maybe the media and most recently, Liverpool social media over the past few days have stirred the pot for a potential rivalry between fans. The bottom line is, yes Naples could be a dangerous place. So can New York. So can Paris. Rome. LA. London. Liverpool, even.
"What Liverpool have done is release a statement to be cautious in an unfamiliar city like their fans are it’s child and Liverpool are the fans mum, instead of showing the fans the beauty of Naples which is food, sights and the people who are generally happy people who love life and embrace diversity and tourists with open arms. As long as fans of BOTH teams can behave properly, we can have a very friendly rivalry."
Q. Mo Salah and Alisson both played in Italy for Roma, what are your thoughts on the duo?
"Salah and Alisson are players I’ve seen develop in Serie A. To watch them emerge into world class players is very cool. Personally, as of late, I think Salah could probably pass the ball a bit more and shoot less, but when he’s on, he’s deadly. And he has scored against Napoli on more than one occasion for more than one team.
"Alisson was one of my favourite keepers for a bit of time while at Roma, so I was not surprised to see him become a big star for Liverpool. I was glad to see him win a Champions League and then the Premier League that eluded Liverpool since 1990, the same year Napoli last won a scudetto. We’re still yet to get ours, but we will."
Q. Finally, what is your score prediction?
"So, us Neapolitans are very superstitious so we at Far From Vesuvius don’t like to predict a score line, but I’ll do it for you. I can see Napoli coming away with a 3-1 win tonight, as long as Victor Osimhen is fit to play. If not, I might have to go with a 1-1.
"Remember, this is the Champions League debut for some of these players at Napoli, and while they’ve exceeded expectations at their Serie A debuts, this is the biggest stage of them all. We’ll see how it unfolds in mere hours, won’t we?"
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