Liverpool will begin their new Champions League campaign on Wednesday night, facing Napoli in the Reds' first game of Group A.
Last season saw Liverpool fall at the final hurdle in the Champions League, with the Reds losing 1-0 to Real Madrid in the final of the competition. A tough defeat to take, Liverpool will be looking to go one step further this season, starting with a trip to Italy against Napoli.
This will be the third time in the last five years that Liverpool have faced Napoli in the Champions League group stages, with the Reds having won just one out of their last four meetings. It's been a tough start to the season for Jurgen Klopp 's side, and they will need to be at their best to get past in-form opposition.
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Naby Keita and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain have both been left out of Liverpool's Champions League squad, though both were already injured. Ibrahima Konate, Calvin Ramsey and Jordan Henderson will be absent, and despite Thiago returning to training, the Spaniard won't be available on Wednesday.
So, who could come out on top in Liverpool's first Champions League game of the season? We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction.
Napoli vs Liverpool score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 22 and updated the squads with the latest transfers. Due to FIFA 22 not having the latest kits, both sides lined up in the kits from the 2021/22 season.
We predict that Napoli could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Meret; Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Min-Jae, Rui; Zielinski, Lobotka, Anguissa; Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia.
We predict that Klopp's side could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Fabinho, Milner; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Liverpool almost got off to the perfect start, with Darwin Nunez heading Andrew Robertson's cross onto the bar from close range. The Reds were dominant in the first half, with Nunez missing a few good chances as the game entered the break at 0-0.
Alex Meret was on fantastic form for Napoli, making some incredible saves to keep the game level. It started to get frustrating for the Reds, for Nunez especially, as many chances were wasted, but the Uruguayan finally found the net after 64 minutes.
Luis Diaz won a free kick near the corner flag after being brought down when turning towards the box. Robertson fizzed a cross towards the near post from the resulting free kick, and Nunez flicked the ball across goal and into the far corner for the lead.
Napoli couldn't escape their half as the Reds continued to look for another goal, but Meret continued to impress, denying both Diaz and Salah on numerous occasions. Diogo Jota was introduced for the final 10 minutes, and the Portugal international confirmed the win with six minutes remaining.
Arthur won possession on the halfway line and sent Diaz through on goal with a great through ball. The Colombian's shot was smothered by Meret but the ball ricocheted into the air, and Jota was quickest to react - heading the ball into the empty net.
Fabinho made a dangerous tackle just outside the Napoli box in added time which saw the Brazilian sent off at the death. At full time, Napoli's 'keeper was the player of the match, making 15 saves in the 90 minutes.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Napoli 0-2 Liverpool
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Liverpool could dominate in Italy, with goals coming from Nunez and Jota to secure a 2-0 win. It could have been more, but the Reds were a bit wasteful in front of goal, and they can't afford to miss chances like that in the real game.
What do you think the score will be between Liverpool and Napoli on Wednesday? Let us know in the comments!
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