Napoli v Liverpool: Champions League – live!

24 min: Virgil van Dijk gets across to dispossess Dries Mertens, who’d been put into space by a pass from deep in behind Andy Robertson. Corner for Napoli, which Van Dijk clears.

22 min: Mo Salah drives into the Napoli penalty area and gets goal side of Koulibaly, who resists the temptation to bring the Egyptian down. Running down a blind alley, Salah picks out James Milner on the edge of the area and the midfielder shoots high over the bar.

20 min: Napoli are piling forward at every opportunity, giving Liverpool plenty of opportunities to attack on the break. The first quarter of this game is being quite some lick and Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret is pressed into action for the first time, getting down to save a Sadio Mane shot from a tight angle at his near post.

16 min: At the other end, Virgil van Dijk is on hand to block an attempted cross to Hirving Lozano from Insigne on the left wing. Moments previously, Liverpool were forced to clear their lines as Ruiz squared the ball into their penalty area with Mertens lurking. Van Dijk it was, who cleared.

15 min: A rock in the heart of Napoli’s defence, Koulibaly steps up again, this time to block an attempted cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

14 min: Napoli win a throw-in deep in Liverpool territory, then another. Now they win a corner, as Milner puts the ball out of play rather than let Giovanni Di Lorenzo get past him on the byline. Nothing comes of it.

13 min: Another good tackle from Koulibaly, who gets back to dispossess Mo Salah as he tried to jink past the defender after being played into the Napoli penalty area by Fabinho.

12 min: Kalidou Koulibaly dives in to dispossess Roberto Firmino with a perfectly timed tackle in the Napoli penalty area and earns himself a loud roar of approval from the home fans.

10 min: Lorenzo Insigne runs on to an excellent pass from deep into the penalty area by Allan, but Trent Alexander-Arnold reads his intention and is first to the ball.

8 min: Chance! Chance! Chance! Fabian Ruiz shoots twice in quick succession from about 15 yards out, his second effort a follow-up saved by Adrian after the goalkeeper had parried his first back into the midfielder’s path. Lozano nods home the second rebound but is correctly flagged for offside. That’s a fairly impressive double-save from Adrian, who is making his Champions League debut in goal for Liverpool.

6 min: Dreis Mertens tries to pick out Hirving Solano with a curling cross from the right, but Joel Matip heads clear.

5 min: Liverpool break down the field on a counter-attack, which breaks down when Salah is unable to pick out Sadio Mane with a pass. Allan, one of Napoli’s central midfielders, intercepts with a crucial block.

3 min: Liverpool win a corner after good work down the right from Mo Salah. As the ball sails into the penalty area, Kostas Manolas catches Roberto Firmino with an elbow and the Brazilian goes to ground but the referee blows for an offside. That looked like it should have been a penalty to me, but the VAR officials don’t appear to agree.

2 min: The fans are a long way from the pitch in Napoli’s throwback of a stadium, which didn’t have functional dressing-rooms this time last week due to renovations that didn’t finish on time. They are, however, making plenty of noise.

1 min: There’s a slight delay as referee Felix Brych appears to deal with some technical issue with his ear-piece before play gets under way.

Not long now: The teams line up in the tunnel and make their way out on to the pitch led by referee Felix Brych and his team of match officials. Napoli’s players wear light blue shirts, white shorts and light blue socks. Liverpool’s players wear red shirts, shorts and socks.

Jurgen Klopp speaks: “The game plan?” he says to BT Sport’s dishy, debonair pitchside reporter Des Kelly. “The opponents line-up is very offensive. It will be tricky, it will be lively … it will have to be very intense. We’ll have to be brave with the ball and first of all defend them. We have to adapt in the game, but the best way is if we have the ball and pass it around.”

The Liverpool Echo report that a number of Liverpool fans were attacked in Naples this evening. Some had bottles thrown at them by home fans, while others were surrounded by men on mopeds and whipped with belts.

“We were just trying to have a quiet drink before going to the apartment and had just paid our bar bill,” one supporter, who did not wish to be named, told the Echo.

“Next minute we could see about 10 scooters flying down. They slowed right down and their faces were covered with scarves and helmets. Next second they are jumping off swinging belts towards us. Must have all happened in 90 seconds but some lad got hit by a belt. Twice I’ve had bother here now. I am never coming back.”

Merseyside Police have since released a statement. “We can confirm two Liverpool fans were reported to have been assaulted in Naples earlier today” it read. “At around 6pm local time (5pm GMT), it was reported a number of males on scooters approached the fans at a bar in the city before assaulting them.

“Two men from the UK, aged 26 and 46, sustained superficial cuts and grazes to the head and were treated at the scene before continuing to attend the match.

“Local police are aware and Merseyside Police are working with police colleagues in Naples to assist in the policing of the Champions League fixture tonight.”

Napoli: Meret, Allan, Manolas, Koulibaly, Mario Rui, Callejon, Ruiz, Lozano, Mertens, Di Lorenzo Insigne

Subs: Ospina, Llorente, Elmas, Maksimovic, Zielinski, Ghoulam, Milik.

Liverpool: Adrian, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Roberto Firmino, Mane, Salah

Subs: Kelleher, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Shaqiri.

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Team news: Andy Robertson has been passed fit to play in a Liverpool side that features three changes from the side that started against Newcastle on Saturday. Jordan Henderson and James Milner come into midfield, with Gini Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain making way. Roberto Firminho comes in for Divock Origi and will make his 200th appearance for the club.

Carlo Ancelotti has picked a very attacking Napoli side, with Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Hirving Lozano all starting. Defender Kostas Manolas and midfielder Allan are also drafted in as Nikola Maksimovic, Piotr Zielinski and Elif Elmas drop out. Despite fronting up for last night’s press conference, Fernando Llorente starts on the bench, as does Arkadiusz Milik, who can’t seem to decide whether or not he’s fit to play.

Carlo Ancelotti speaks: “Liverpool have improved because winning the Champions League gives you belief,” said Napoli’s manager. “We have improved too though and we’ve bolstered our squad with the addition of some quality players. I think it will be a great game – hard fought and intense.

“We want to play a starring role, first by reaching the knockout stage and cementing our place as one of Europe’s top clubs. We know how good we are and we want to prove it on the international stage.

“We mustn’t alter the way we play, regardless of the team I pick. Of course you have to keep the opposition in mind and the defensive side is very important but if you want to win matches you have to impose your game by playing to the strengths of your players.”

Jurgen Klopp speaks: “If you go nuts and start taking drugs and drinking and driving different cars or whatever, and leave your missus at home because you are now the Champions League winner then I can’t help you,” he joked, upon being asked if victory in the Champions League last season had gone to his players’ heads.

“We don’t feel the burden of being champions,” said Liverpool’s manager. “It was long ago. Will teams play differently against us? I have no clue. I’ve never won the Champions League before. I hope we are prepared for that.

“We are trying to reach the same level as last year, we want to be consistent, play our football, use or skills and our confidence. We will judge improvement at the end of the season. For now, we just have to do our best.”

Early Napoli team news …

Left-winger Lorenzo Insigne returned from injury to come off the bench in Napoli’s 2-0 win over Sampdoria at the weekend. Arkadiusz Milik had been expected to be available for selection following a stomach injury, but this match seems to have come a day or two too soon for the striker.

Albanian right-back Elseid Hysaj has been ruled out, while one of Hirving Lozano or Fernando Llorente are likely to start up front alongside Dries Mertens. Llorente sat alongside Carlo Ancelotti at last night’s press conference, in a state of affairs that suggests he might get the nod.

Early Liverpool team news …

Andy Robertson didn’t train yesterday for precautionary reasons, but Jurgen Klopp said it “is not a major thing” and the Scotsman seems likely to be passed fit. Divock Origi has been ruled out with the ankle injury he suffered against Newcastle on Saturday and did not travel to Italy. Alisson remains unavailable for selection following the calf injury he picked up during Liverpool’s first game of the season, against Norwich City.

Napoli’s San Paolo Stadium is the venue for the beginning of Liverpool’s Champions League title defence, following their victory over Tottenham Hotspur in last season’s final in Atlético Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium a little under four months ago.

Liverpool last won consecutive European Cups in the mid-seventies, beginning a period of English dominance in the competition. Nottingham Forest emulated their feat in 1978-79 and 79-80, before Liverpool won their third final at the end of the 1980-81 campaign, before Aston Villa got in on the act in 1981-82.

While both sides playing tonight should pass into the knockout stages with a minimum of fuss, retaining their title this season will be an extremely tall order for Liverpool. Since the European Cup morphed into the bloated, money-spinning behemoth that is the Champions League 27 years ago, only Real Madrid – with their trio of back-to-back-to-back titles earlier this decade – have managed to win more than one in a row.

Kick-off tonight is at 8pm (BST), but stay tuned for team news and build-up in the meantime.