Champions League wakes up after the summer break. In the first round, "Napoli" will host the title-defending team "Liverpool" in front of their own fans. Here are the most interesting facts about the match:
- "Napoli" plays confidently at their stadium - last season they won 13 out of 19 matches in the domestic league, drew four, and earned 7 points in the Champions League over three matches (including a draw against PSG).
- Only Marek Hamsik (121) and Diego Maradona (115) have scored more goals for an Italian club than striker Dries Mertens (112).
- The defending Champions League title-holders have not lost (14 wins, 10 draws) their first match of the season since the 1994-1995 season (the "Milan" - "Ajax" encounter).
- "Liverpool" forward Sadio Mane has scored 14 goals in 24 Champions League matches and leads the list of top scorers for "Liverpool" this season (6 goals in all competitions).
- S. Mane can also boast of being the first "Liverpool" player to have scored 10 goals in the modern Champions League knockout stages.
- "Liverpool" forward Roberto Firmino will play his 200th match for the team if he earns the coach's trust.
- The match between both clubs at the "Sao Paulo" stadium last season stood out as the only time "Liverpool" failed to score in their 74 Champions League matches.
- In the last six matches against English clubs, "Napoli" has only achieved one victory - in October 2018 against the same "Liverpool".
- Over the last two Champions League seasons, the "Reds" scored 65 goals and celebrated 15 wins, surpassing all other teams in the tournament.
- If S. Mane scores a goal in Italy, he will equal Didier Drogba's record (15 goals in 25 CL matches) among African players.
