Liverpool's 2018-19 Champions League campaign will begin a week today when Paris Saint-Germain visit Anfield for a mouth-watering Group C opener.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG should be among the favourites in the Champions League with its ultra-explosive offensive core group of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Edinson Cavani.
Frankly, there aren’t many weaknesses on the team and adding the experience of Gianluigi Buffon could be a tremendous boost as this competition advances and gives Thomas Tuchel two very good options at goalkeeper with Alphonse Areola.
- Champions League: Semi-finals (1994-95)
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Winners (1995-96)
The route to the group phase
Les Parisiens regained the Ligue 1 title from AS Monaco last season, finishing 13 points ahead of their rivals, to qualify as domestic champions. They went straight into pot one for the draw and are the highest-seeded team in Group C.
Form against LFC
The clubs have only met twice before, over two legs of a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1997. Roy Evans' Reds won 2-0 at Anfield but had lost 3-0 at the Parc des Princes and went out of the competition.
Napoli
Napoli’s high pressing, high energy style of play under Maurizio Sarri was quite something to watch, but their style is likely to be a bit different under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.
If there’s any way that Napoli can break down the rest of their opponents in group C, it’s with their quick passing and interplay, looking to spring both Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens forward; both of them are so good at running on to balls that are played in behind opposition defences.
- Champions League: Round of 16 (2011-12, 2016-17)
- UEFA Cup: Winners (1988-89)
The route to the group phase
Napoli pushed serial Serie A winners Juventus all the way during the 2017-18 season but came up four points short and finished second to the Old Lady. They went straight into pot two for the draw.
Form against LFC
Liverpool beat Napoli 5-0 in a pre-season friendly in Dublin this summer, but in terms of competitive matches, the clubs have only met twice.
Roy Hodgson's Reds beat Walter Mazzarri's side 3-1 at Anfield during the group stages of the 2010-11 Europa League and secured a 0-0 draw at Stadio San Paolo.
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star really couldn’t have asked for a worse group than Liverpool, Napoli, and Paris Saint-Germain.
They lost their best player from last season Nemanja Radonjic, to Marseille for roughly €12 million. However, they did bring in a name that’s going to be familiar to Bundesliga fans. Former Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen midfielder Marko Marin signed at the last second during the transfer window.
- European Cup: Winners (1990-91)
The route to the group phase
After winning the European Cup in 1991, Red Star had not reached the group stages of the competition since its rebrand to the Champions League in 1992.
But having lifted the Serbian SuperLiga last season, they qualified this term in dramatic fashion, coming from two goals down in their play-off with Red Bull Salzburg to draw 2-2 in Austria and go through on away goals.
Form against LFC
The two clubs have only ever met twice and that was back in 1973 in the European Cup. The Serbian side won both legs of the second-round clash, beating Bill Shankly's Reds 2-1 on each occasion.
