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After their splendid opening game victory over Paris St Germain, Liverpool fly out to Italy tomorrow for their second Champions League clash of the season on Wednesday night.

Liverpool correspondent James Pearce spoke to Naples-based journalist Andrea Falco, who works for Radio Marte, to get the lowdown on the Reds' next Champions League opponents.

Is there a lot of excitement in Naples ahead of Liverpool's visit?

It will grow as we get closer to Wednesday night.

This game will turn on all the passion of the fans.

For now, there is still disappointment at the defeat Napoli suffered against Juventus in Turin on Saturday. That's the most important game of the season for Napoli’s fans, who have been dreaming of the championship for nearly 30 years.

READ all the build up to the clash with Napoli here

What was the reaction when Napoli were drawn in the same group as Jurgen Klopp's side?

(Image: Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Liverpool was the one team we hoped to avoid from the third pot. In the past Napoli have often been unlucky in the draws.

We got the record number of points for a third placed team in the group phase when in 2013/14 we went out with 12 points against Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille.

In our first Champions League group appearance we got Man City, Bayern Munich and Villarreal. Two years ago Napoli won their group and got Real Madrid in the last 16.

Now to be drawn in the same group as PSG and Liverpool means the privilege of being in the second pot was useless. The Napoli chairman said it's incredible that Liverpool was in pot three considering they got to the final last season and has urged UEFA to change the regulations.

Napoli sit second in Serie A. How would you rate their start to the season?

There were a lot of doubts after the loss of manager Maurizio Sarri and the exit of a great leader Liverpool fans know well, Pepe Reina.

Furthermore the schedule has been very hard. Napoli have already faced Lazio, Milan, Fiorentina and Juventus in the first seven games.

Even if Napoli has six points less then past year at this point, this start with five wins out of seven has been positive.

How has Carlo Ancelotti changed things since he took over this summer?

Sarri has got one only style of play, while Ancelotti is coaching Napoli like a top team - great turnovers, changes in tactics and personnel every match.

They communicate differently. Sarri often said we couldn't compete with Juventus, but Ancelotti is not scared to say Napoli has to win the Scudetto and progress in the Champions League.

Ancelotti is managing Napoli in the same way he did with the best clubs in Europe. The question we wonder is if it really is the best for Napoli because we're not Bayern, Real or PSG.

Napoli have switched from 4-3-3 to playing 4-4-2. Lorenzo Insigne is now a central striker and not a left winger for the first time in his career. The team has less possession of the ball and is more direct now. With Sarri, Napoli were the best in terms of possession in Europe with Man City and Barca, now we're 23rd.

Which players have impressed so far this season? Who do Liverpool need to be wary of?

The best in this moment is Insigne. He changed position and he is scoring a lot with five already. Brazilian midfielder Allan is also in amazing condition and it's crazy that Tite prefers Renato Augusto to him in the international team.

Another player who Liverpool need to focus on is Piotr Zielinski. His position has changed too, he's a left midfielder now, but he moves a lot into the centre, giving space to the left-back. Marek Hamsik isn't the same player he was back in 2010 when the two clubs last met.



What about any weaknesses for the Reds to try to exploit?

Napoli is a team which has great skill. But physically they can suffer a lot. We saw that on Saturday in Turin.

Liverpool were heavily linked with Zielinski back in 2016 before he signed for Napoli. Has he been a success?

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He's a great talent but he has too many ups and downs. With Sarri he was the 12th player, now with Ancelotti he is a fixed starter. It’s time for him to explode, it's now or never. He's had a good start and scored two goals against Milan.

Napoli only drew their opening group game against Red Star. Does that put more pressure on them going into this match?

Of course. We were sure of getting six points from the two games against Red Star. It was a disappointing result, even if Napoli maybe deserved to win. This game with Liverpool is already similar to a 'win or go home' match.

What kind of atmosphere can Liverpool expect at Stadio San Paolo?

The chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis had a good idea by offering fans a great discount for tickets if they bought them for all three home Champions League matches.

It will be packed out and the San Paolo will be on fire. Atmosphere? Loud. Hot. Passion. Feelings.

How about team news? Will Napoli be at full strength?

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Yeah, Napoli have only got Faouzi Ghoulam who is out from last season's match against Man City. He is one of the best left-backs in Europe and Napoli miss him very much. All the rest are available and in good condition. Maybe Ancelotti will make two or three changes from the game against Juventus.



Finally, what's your prediction?

Napoli will be a different team, so much stronger than the friendly match they played with Liverpool in Dublin in August. But Liverpool is a top team now.

Maybe a draw with goals at both ends – that would be a good result for Liverpool after beating PSG and not so bad for Napoli who can continue to stay competitive in the group.