Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo says the Partenopei should not fear Liverpool and want to show they belong in the Champions League.
The Partenopei host Jurgen Klopp’s side at the Stadio Maradona tomorrow night in the opening match of Champions League Group A.
“It’s been two years that we’ve been waiting to be involved in this competition again so I think it’s an important moment for the team and me and the fans,” Di Lorenzo said at a press conference.
“We will show a lot of desire and determination in trying to produce a good performance against a top side I am sure we’ll be able to show our qualities and cause problems for the opposition.
“I don’t have that much Champions League experience myself, but we are keen to test ourselves against a top team because we think we also fall into that category,” he continued.
“We didn’t have many days to prepare for this match but we all really want to go out there and show that we belong in this competition. We’ll try to play our game without any fear and mustn’t let them dictate proceedings too much.”
The Partenopei are just two points off leaders Atalanta and are still unbeaten in five Serie A games. They have collected 11 points so far, the same as defending champions Milan.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have had a tough start to the season with nine points in six games, including a defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Di Lorenzo believes that Napoli’s attitude will be crucial against the Reds tomorrow night.
“These teams can pick up on teams when you have a bit too much fear and they can ultimately squash you from an emotional perspective. We need to be brave and positive and show character,” he said.
“I think ultimately it’s 11 vs. 11, we have two legs and two arms like they do. I am sure we can show our quality and desire to be involved in the competition. I am sure we can cause them problems with the help of our fans.
“They have a lot of top players, and we’ll have to be very careful as defenders, but we defend as a unit, it starts with the front players and it goes all the way back to the goalkeeper. Liverpool like to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, but once we have the ball I think we need to try to hurt them with our quality
“You have to take risks in games like this, you need to have the courage to try things out when you have the ball, try to play our own game and show our qualities. On the other hand we know their top players can hurt you at any time, so we can’t switch off for a moment. It’s about striking the right balance and showing personality and showing what kind of top players and top team we are too.”
Di Lorenzo, 29, has played 142 games with the Partenopei, scoring eight goals and delivering 23 assists. He was the starting right-back for Italy in their winning Euro 2020 campaign.
He has become the Napoli captain this summer following the departures of Lorenzo Insigne and Kalidou Koulibaly.
“Yes, we spoke and they congratulated me on being appointed as captain, despite the fact that we are no longer teammates we still remain friends.”