Shakhtar Donetsk captain Taras Stepanenko said it was beyond his "wildest dreams" to thrash RB Leipzig 4-1 in their Champions League opener at the Red Bull Arena.

Igor Jovicevic's team became the first Ukrainian side to compete in the Champions League since the country was invaded by Russia, and they marked the occasion with an unlikely victory on their travels.

Despite enjoying just 32 per cent of the possession and attempting a mere four shots on target, Shakhtar scored with each of those through a Marian Shved double and further goals from Mykhaylo Mudryk and Lassina Traore.

Jovicevic's visitors finished with an expected goals total of just 1.2, compared to the 1.4 of Leipzig, who thought they had got back into the game through Mohamed Simakan's equaliser – only to fall apart soon after.

The defeat for Leipzig potentially leaves coach Domenico Tedesco's future in doubt, with the Bundesliga side winning only one of five league games, but this was a memorable victory for Shakhtar.

"I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams such a game with four goals for us. But we played well and I feel we deserved that result tonight," Stepanenko told reporters.

"I have been with the club for over a decade. This is a new team, but many of these young players are from the Shakhtar academy, so they have the Shakhtar spirit and this really helps us a lot.

"We are a tight group and have a lot of spirit. When I saw the draw, I immediately knew it was going to be a tough group, but I also knew we have a good team and should be able to get results.

"We want to progress, but with young players sometimes you are lacking consistency."

Shakhtar already have more points (three) and goals (four) than they earned in the entirety of last season's group stage (two points, two goals).

Their next task will see them face Celtic, who were 3-0 losers to reigning European champions Real Madrid in the other Group F game, but for now Jovicevic expressed his delight after seeing his positivity pay dividends.

"When the counter-attack for the third goal came and the ball was at Mudryk's feet, I already raised my arms in celebration because I know from training that he scores when he is through one on one with the keeper," Jovicevic said. 

"I tried to give this positive energy and it's all about being positive."

Shved became the 10th different Ukrainian player to score on his Champions League debut and just the second of those to do so while playing for Shakhtar – after Stepanenko in November 2010.

Jovicevic added praise for Shved, who also became the first Ukrainian to score a brace in the competition since Junior Moraes for Shakhtar at Lyon in October 2018.

"I know Marian Shved from my time at Lviv, and when Sevilla took him, I wanted him back," Jovicevic said.

"Now I am happy that he is back in my team. He is a hard worker, quick and powerful, and I know what he is capable of."

Stefano Pioli claimed Milan could have done more in their 1-1 Champions League draw at Salzburg, as he acknowledged next week's clash with Dinamo Zagreb has already taken on extra importance. 

Milan fell behind to a terrific solo effort from Noah Okafor after 28 minutes of their Champions League opener, but claimed a share of the spoils thanks to Alexis Saelemaekers' fierce left-footed finish.

The Rossoneri have now avoided defeat in 14 of their last 15 opening group-stage matches in the competition (W10 D4 L1), but they struggled to break down their resolute hosts despite taking charge in the second half.  

Milan enjoyed 65 per cent of the possession in Salzburg – their highest such figure in the Champions League since records began – but Rafael Leao's late deflected effort was the closest they came to a winner.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Pioli expressed his satisfaction with the point, but highlighted the Rossoneri's need to improve. 

"It was a good result with a sufficient performance but not of a high level. If the quality level is not raised there are dangers," Pioli said.

"We could have done better, but they are strong, we bring home a positive result. 

"The boys know how to recognise when they are good on the pitch, today we struggled on the second balls and they could start again with their dangerous forwards. 

"There was a lack of speed in the construction, we could have found better solutions and when we did, we were dangerous.

"We could have taken up the space better to play a little more of the game in their half."

Having watched Group E favourites Chelsea slip to a demoralising defeat at Dinamo Zagreb earlier on Tuesday, both sides had the chance to take charge of the race for qualification.

Milan face Dinamo in their next continental outing next Wednesday, and Pioli admits the Croatian outfit's victory over the Blues has heightened the importance of that match.

"I did not expect the result between Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea," he admitted. "This teaches us that in football there are no obvious matches. 

"Salzburg are a good team and last year they never lost at home. The next match for us will have an important weight." 

With Tuesday's result, Salzburg are unbeaten in five home Champions League games (W3 D2), while they have not started any of their five campaigns in the competition with a loss (W1 D4).

Only Deportivo La Coruna (also five times) also played in as many Champions League seasons without ever losing their opening match.

Rossoneri defender Fikayo Tomori echoed his coaches' views, expressing relief at remaining unbeaten against resolute opponents.

"It was the game we expected. They are strong on pressing and very fast up front," he said. "We played well, we could have done better, but a point on this field is difficult to take. 

"So we are happy, even if we are also aware that we can do more. We knew it would be difficult. Taking a point in Salzburg is not bad at all. 

"We played well, but not at our level. The group is open, the next match against Dinamo Zagreb, we have to do better and win. We can qualify." 

Kylian Mbappe says Paris Saint-Germain are well aware of where they have fallen short in the Champions League, though offered a reminder that it is not an easy tournament to win.

Mbappe's first-half double against Juventus on Tuesday ultimately proved enough for PSG to secure a 2-1 win in their opening Group H fixture at Parc des Princes.

PSG were sensational in the first half, with Mbappe converting his two shots – both volleys – to put them into a seemingly commanding position after 22 minutes.

Yet Mbappe's selfishness when he went for goal instead of squaring to Neymar early in the second half, followed by some poor defending and goalkeeping at a corner, allowed Weston McKennie to drag Juve back into the contest.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made his second error leading to a goal in six Champions League appearances for PSG, atoned for his part in McKennie's goal with a superb save from Dusan Vlahovic, while Manuel Locatelli saw a goal-bound shot blocked late on.

PSG had their chances to put the game to bed, with Mbappe drilling wide after superb play between Lionel Messi and Neymar, with the latter seeing a wonderful volley saved by Mattia Perin late on.

While PSG failed to live up to the dominant first-half display after the break and allowed Juve back into it to the extent that they finished with a similar shot count (15 to 13) and expected goals (1.5 to 1.1), Mbappe claimed the squad are well aware of areas of improvement.

"There is a small difference between the first and the second half. We know that we have some shortcomings," he said in an interview with RMC Sport. 

"My failure [to make it] 3-0? I missed a lot of goals in my life, I'm going to score a lot and miss a lot. These are facts of the game. It's not by missing that you penalise your team, it's by thinking about the failures.

"We have things to work on, It's normal, it's the Champions League. If it was easy, we would have won it by now."

Mbappe's double took him on to 29 goals in the competition for PSG, one shy of Edinson Cavani's club record.

His sentiment was echoed by team-mate Vitinha, who said: "It's only the beginning, we have to improve. We also saw that we did some good things.

"In the second half, we should have controlled the game better, but it doesn't matter, we shouldn't give too much importance to that. It's up to us to work."

Manchester City's rivals have been warned that Erling Haaland has not even fully adapted to the team's style of play yet, with Kevin De Bruyne adamant there is much more to come.

Haaland was in lethal form again on Tuesday as he scored twice in City's comfortable 4-0 win over Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on matchday one of Champions League Group G.

His first saw him get on the end of a De Bruyne cross, while his second was a rebound tap-in after a Phil Foden shot was parried straight to him.

Haaland became only the fourth player to score on his Champions League debut with three different clubs, having also done so for Borussia Dortmund and Salzburg.

His exploits in Seville continued from his electric start to the Premier League season, taking him to 12 goals in just seven matches across all competitions.

And what could strike even more fear into opponents is that De Bruyne does not think he has fully adapted yet.

"I think the way he's adapted to us is really good but I think outside the goalscoring there's still another part in the game," he told BT Sport.

"I think that part is tougher to adapt to. It makes it more exciting. If he can adjust to the way we play, then the levels will go up."

He added: "I try to do my job, make the right movements and try to create as many chances as I can and I know one way or another, Erling is going to be there.

"For the moment, he is scoring the goals so it helps us win the games."

City coach Pep Guardiola was almost nonplussed about Haaland's record, pointing out it is not too dissimilar to the goalscoring frequency he had at his previous clubs.

He just hopes the Norway striker continues the way he has started.

"I think his numbers across his career, not just here but in previous teams, is quite similar," Guardiola said.

"So he has an incredible sense of goal – he scored two and had chances for two or three more to score.

"We have incredible numbers in scoring goals, so we want to continue like that. Another battle next on Saturday against Tottenham, so hopefully he can continue scoring goals."

The injury that forced Karim Benzema off the field in Real Madrid's victory over Celtic "does not seem like anything serious", according to Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Benzema hobbled off with half an hour played of Tuesday's Champions League win in Glasgow after pulling up with a knee issue.

The France international had made a fast start to the campaign with five goal involvements in his first five outings prior to sustaining the injury at Celtic Park.

Any sort of lay-off for Benzema would be considered a major blow for Madrid during a busy period, but Ancelotti provided a positive update after the match.

"It doesn't seem like anything serious. Tomorrow they will do more tests," he told Movistar. "It could be that he is just suffering some discomfort."

Madrid battled to a 3-0 victory in Benzema's absence, with replacement Eden Hazard rounding off the scoring after Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric had put the visitors in control.

The reigning European champions survived a number of scares prior to Vinicius' 56th-minute opener, but their quality and experience told in a ruthless second-half showing.

"We played against a team that put in a lot of intensity and we had to suffer a bit," Ancelotti said. "We weren't effective in the last third and lacked speed.

"But that changed in the second half. We know the first half could have been better, but the second was pretty much perfect."

Hazard's goal was just his second for Madrid in the Champions League, coming at the end of a brilliant 33-pass move that carved Celtic open.

No player created more chances than Hazard (three), despite the Belgium international playing only an hour, and Ancelotti was impressed with his performance.

"I thought it was the right game for Eden," Ancelotti said of his decision to bring on Hazard for the injured Benzema. 

"The two central defenders didn't jump much under pressure, and his position not as a striker but a little more from behind could help us. 

"We didn't ask Eden to put in the work of [Federico] Valverde or others, but to instead do other things.

"He's motivated in training, and although it was difficult for him to get into the first half, he was decisive in the second. It's important for us and hopefully he can continue."

Madrid have now won all four of their away group matches in the Champions League since the start of last season without conceding, netting 12 goals of their own.

They have won all six matches played in all competitions this season, meanwhile, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois accepts his side did not have it all their own way against Celtic.

"The first half was difficult," he said. "Celtic started strong and there was a great atmosphere here after so many seasons out of the Champions League.

"They made it hard for us to get going. We didn't start well and they hit the post. But eventually we found our rhythm and dominated the second half for a deserved victory."

Jake Paul will return to the boxing ring to face UFC legend Anderson Silva at Phoenix's Gila River Arena on October 29.

Paul has not fought since his sixth-round knockout of Tyron Woodley in December 2021, his second of two wins against the former UFC welterweight champion.

Before that, Paul had knocked out Ben Askren and after overcoming Woodley for a second time was meant to face Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. before both fights fell apart in August.

YouTube star Paul has made somewhat of a name for fighting former professionals from the octagon, with the next challenge coming against former UFC middleweight champion Silva.

While holding the record for most consecutive victories in UFC (16), 47-year-old Silva boasts a 3-1 tally as a professional boxer, beating the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez and former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

He retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 after five losses from his last six fights, albeit against world-class opponents.

The bout will be contested at 187 pounds over eight three-minute rounds, the weight Paul claims Anderson's team requested.

"The plan is for me to fight at 185 [pounds] going forward and that's what I wanted this fight at given it was the weight Anderson Silva fought at during his reign as the most dominant UFC champion ever," Paul told ESPN.

"Anderson's team asked if we could set the weight at 187, two pounds more than what I wanted. That level of professionalism and precision is appreciated, and of course I agreed to his request."

Paul hailed the capabilities of Anderson with a statement to announce the clash, pointing to his victory over Chavez as proof of his boxing ability.

"Anderson 'The Spider' Silva is the most versatile fighter the world has ever seen," the statement said. "Just a year ago he outclassed boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and showed the world why he is often referred to as the greatest fighter of all time.

"Every expert, from MMA to boxing, has said Jake Paul won't fight Anderson Silva. They said Jake Paul is afraid of Anderson Silva, and Jake Paul would lose to Anderson Silva.

"Well, to all the non-believers – Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva. It's an honour to have the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest UFC striker of all time.

"On Saturday, October 29, I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend and do my best to exterminate 'The Spider'."

Ons Jabeur advanced through to her first US Open semi-final after defeating the in-form Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 7-6 (7-4) on Tuesday.

Jabeur, the world number five, became the first woman from Africa to make the last four at Flushing Meadows after a powerful display in the quarter-finals accounted for an opponent who has belatedly started to pose problems at grand slams.

Continuing a strong season of her own, in which she played a first major final at Wimbledon, Jabeur broke twice in the opening set as Tomljanovic failed to fully capitalise on her wayward serving, instead getting in her own way with four double-faults to no aces.

It meant the Tunisian threatened to run away with the match when she secured another break in the first game of the second set, but Tomljanovic fought back in what developed into a back-and-forth struggle, with six breaks of serve split evenly through the first nine games.

Although that theme initially continued in the tie-break, with the first four points all going against the serve, Jabeur finally found some big serves when it mattered most to finish the job.

A semi-final against either Coco Gauff or Caroline Garcia now lies before Jabeur, who had not previously gone beyond the third round in New York.

Data Slam: Jabeur powers through

Jabeur lacked accuracy with her serve – landing 40 per cent of her first serves across the match – but was dominant when she was able to keep it fair, converting nine of her 11 accurate first serves in the opener to illustrate the significant power gap between the two women.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Jabeur – 4/2
Tomljanovic – 1/9

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Jabeur – 29/30
Tomljanovic – 12/24

BREAK POINTS WON

Jabeur – 5/6
Tomljanovic – 4/6

Paris Saint-Germain saw off a second-half fightback from Juventus to win their opening Champions League game 2-1 thanks to Kylian Mbappe's double.

Juve were no match for their hosts at the Parc des Princes in the first half, with Mbappe volleying home twice inside the first 22 minutes.

A defensive lapse from Christophe Galtier's side allowed Weston McKennie to drag Juve back into the contest eight minutes into the second half, however.

And Dusan Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli both went close to restoring parity, yet PSG had enough to see out a first competitive win over Juve.

Mbappe had denied there were any issues between himself and Neymar in the pre-match press conference, and the duo proved they were in sync in the fifth minute as the France striker volleyed in from his team-mate's exquisite chipped pass.

Gianluigi Donnarumma made a fine save from Arkadiusz Milik at the other end, but PSG were in full flow up front, and it was 2-0 when Mbappe volleyed in again – this time from Achraf Hakimi's cutback.

Neymar might have turned from provider to scorer had his finish been better in the 49th minute, but Mattia Perin was equal to the forward's tame effort.

Mbappe should have provided Neymar with a tap-in two minutes later, only to shoot selfishly from a tight angle, and PSG were made to pay.

It had seemed a matter of damage limitation for Juve, yet PSG switched off from a corner, enabling McKennie to head in at the back post.

With Donnarumma brilliantly keeping out Vlahovic's header, sensational combination play from Neymar and Lionel Messi resulted in a great chance for Mbappe to restore PSG's two-goal cushion, but he lashed wide.

Mbappe's profligacy could have proved costly again as Locatelli saw a goal-bound toe-poke blocked, but PSG held on to get the job done.

Erling Haaland was decisive once again with two goals as Manchester City comfortable saw off Sevilla 4-0 in Spain to open their Champions League campaign.

Haaland has enjoyed a devastating start to life at City and was on fire again as he became only the fourth player to score in his first appearance for three different teams in the Champions League.

The only surprising aspect of the game was City and Haaland only managed a single goal in the first half as Sevilla looked every inch of a team desperately short on confidence.

As the hosts became more forward-thinking in the second half, City picked them off as Phil Foden capped a fine display with a goal and Haaland took his season's tally to 12 in seven games, before Ruben Dias put the finishing touches on in stoppage time as he forced home a corner.

City opening the scoring seemed a formality amid a dominant start and the goal duly arrived in the 20th minute as Kevin De Bruyne got in behind Marcos Acuna and teed up a simple finish for Haaland.

Despite City's control, clear-cut chances remained infrequent and Sevilla might have levelled just before the interval, but Papu Gomez smashed over after latching on to Thomas Delaney's knockdown.

It was hardly a shock when City doubled their advantage, though. Yassine Bounou was able to make a fine save to deny De Bruyne when one-on-one, but he could do little to keep Foden's sweeping effort out of the bottom-right corner not long after.

Foden then saw a shot parried right to Haaland for his simple second goal, and Dias rounded off an emphatic win late on with a close-range finish from Joao Cancelo's delivery.

Milan came from behind to clinch a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Salzburg in their Champions League opener, as Alexis Saelemaekers cancelled out a superb solo goal from Noah Okafor.

Okafor's outstanding strike gave Salzburg the lead midway through an evenly matched first half, only for Saelemaekers to smash home an equaliser shortly before the break on Tuesday.

Stefano Pioli's men failed to build on the Belgium international's effort but almost grabbed a stoppage-time winner through Rafael Leao, who was denied by the frame of the goal.

Having failed to escape the group stages in the Champions League last season, however, the Serie A champions may still be relieved to escape without defeat ahead of meetings with Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea.

Both sides created openings in an entertaining start, with Nicolas Capaldo heading over the crossbar before Olivier Giroud drilled a poor effort straight at Philipp Kohn from a tight angle.

But Salzburg hit the front through a tremendous goal after 28 minutes, as Okafor collected Fernando's pass before slipping the ball between Pierre Kalulu's legs and finishing neatly beyond Mike Maignan.

Milan drew level five minutes before the break, however, as Leao teed up Saelemaekers to slam a left-footed effort past Kohn from 10 yards out.

Salzburg missed a golden opportunity to regain their lead eight minutes after half-time, with Fernando somehow lifting his effort over the bar from six yards out when meeting Maurits Kjaergaard's cross.

Nicolas Seiwald then tested Maignan from range before the hosts appeared to run out of steam, allowing Sando Tonali to dictate the play for the Rossoneri.

Leao went agonisingly close to snatching the win in the 93rd minute, but saw his long-range effort deflect against the post and away to safety.

What does it mean? Group E looks wide open

With Chelsea succumbing to a dismal 1-0 defeat in Zagreb earlier on Tuesday, either side could have taken control of Group E with a victory.

But Milan were unable to push for a winner after levelling shortly before half-time, leaving the Rossoneri with just one win in their last 10 Champions League games (D3 L6), beating Atletico Madrid last November.

Meanwhile, no team will enjoy a trip to Austria; Salzburg are now unbeaten in their last five home games in UEFA's flagship club competition (W3 D2). 

Salzburg rely on youth once again

Salzburg have acted as a springboard for several top-class talents in recent seasons, and if Okafor's excellent solo goal is anything to go by, the 22-year-old Swiss forward could be another. 

Excluding own goals, each of their last 15 Champions League goals have been scored by players aged 23 or younger, the longest such run by any side in the competition's history.

Leao lays on a leveller

Having fired Milan to victory in the Derby della Madonnina on Saturday, Leao continued his electric form by teeing up Saelemaekers to get the Rossoneri back on level terms.

Leao has now delivered 11 assists in all competitions since the start of 2022, the most of any Serie A player.

What's next?

Milan travel to Sampdoria for their next Serie A outing on Saturday. Salzburg go to SV Ried in the Austrian Bundesliga on the same day, before facing Chelsea next Wednesday.

Real Madrid survived a hostile reception and the loss of striker Karim Benzema to injury as they dug deep to begin their Champions League defence with a ruthless 3-0 win at Celtic.

Los Blancos' quest for a record-extending 15th European Cup got off to a bad start when losing star man Benzema to a knee injury with 30 minutes played of Tuesday's opener.

Celtic had already struck the post through Callum McGregor at that point and continued to trouble their opponents on their return to the group stage after four seasons away.

But as they so often did last season, Madrid found a way thanks to quickfire goals from Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric, which Eden Hazard added to with a brilliant third.

Liel Abada and Reo Hatate had both asked questions of Thibaut Courtois in a lively opening half an hour for the hosts at a raucous Celtic Park. 

Ange Postecoglou's side went even closer to scoring when McGregor was picked out by Giorgos Giakoumakis and unleashed a left-footed strike against the frame of the goal.

Madrid lost Benzema to injury soon after but would have been ahead before half-time had Joe Hart not denied Vinicius from a one-on-one.

The visitors, having survived another let-off when substitute Daizen Maeda scuffed a shot at Courtois from close range, opened the scoring 11 minutes into the second half.

Federico Valverde found Vinicius with a lovely ball into the centre of the box at the end of a swift attack, and the forward coolly picked his spot past Hart with a first-time finish.

Madrid had a second four minutes later as Modric, making his 100th appearance for the club in the competition, prodded past Hart with an outside-of-the-boot finish.

It was plain sailing from that point on, and Hazard – the man brought on for Benzema – added a third from close range after some smart play from Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal at the end of a fine team move.

Joao Felix has started to discover his "best moments" since joining Atletico Madrid ahead of their Champions League clash with Porto, according to Diego Simeone.

The Portugal international became the fifth most expensive signing in history when he joined Atleti from Benfica for €126million in July 2019.

Only Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele have moved for larger fees in world football than Joao Felix, who signed a seven-year deal but has struggled to deliver thus far.

The 22-year-old offered encouraging signs at the start of the 2022-23 season, though, assisting all three goals in the 3-0 opening-day LaLiga win over Getafe.

While Joao Felix is yet to find the net this season, Simeone believes the forward is finding his feet in the Spanish capital as Atleti prepare to host Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"Joao is at the best moments in the years since we have been together, more mature, stronger, more sure of himself, involved in what the team needs," Simeone said.

"He has all the talent, the ability… he just has to tap into it."

Joao Felix will likely line up alongside Alvaro Morata against Porto, but Atleti could be without Jan Oblak, who was forced off with injury in the closing stages against Real Sociedad on Saturday.

"It will be assessed tomorrow morning. From there we will see what can happen," Simeone said of Oblak's fitness. "Ivo Grbic is ready, we believe in him, he is ready to play."

Atletico were narrow 1-0 aggregate losers to Manchester City in the quarter-finals of last year's competition, and Simeone is relishing the challenge of going further this campaign.

"The Champions League is not just another game, it is different," he added. "We will have to do things well from the first game, with our people, in our stadium, to grow in the competition. 

"It's clear that the Champions League is always very difficult, but it's an opportunity. Last season we had a good Champions League, we were close to being among the best, but we competed very well. 

"It's just beginning, we have to demonstrate what we imagine and what we're excited about, hopefully with the team's work we'll have a good Champions League."

Jurgen Klopp kept his message to his Liverpool players simple ahead of their Champions League opener at Napoli, urging the Reds to "play better" after previous struggles in Naples.

Wednesday will mark the third time Napoli and Liverpool have met in the Champions League group stage in the past five seasons, with the Italian side winning home games against the Reds in both 2018-19 (1-0) and 2019-20 (2-0).

Klopp also lost 2-1 at Napoli while Borussia Dortmund coach, and he knows his players must improve on these previous showings.

"I'm a late bloomer," he said. "I always need a little bit longer to achieve my stuff, and that means sometimes I have to try two times, sometimes three times, sometimes four times – and Napoli [could be] four times, obviously.

"What do we have to do? Play better than in the previous three games – that would be very helpful, because we didn't play particularly well when we came here. One reason is because Napoli are pretty strong."

Despite Liverpool's poor record at Napoli, the Reds have won each of their last three away games against Italian sides in European competition, although the Partenopei have five victories in six Champions League home games against Premier League opposition.

Luciano Spalletti will be in the opposite dugout to Klopp this time around, and the German heaped praise on the Napoli coach and his squad.

"He is a real great of the game, worked all over the world, very successful, you can always see his stamp on the team," Klopp added.

"It's always clear who is the coach, I respect that a lot. Looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

"[The Napoli players] are not all young, but they're all good... I'm not 100 per cent sure, but I think not too long ago there was a bit of a nervous situation in Napoli around when players left for different reasons; obviously it has all settled again.

"I'm really happy for the people here. But one player who always stayed is [Piotr] Zielinski, and around him you could build again another team – it's a really, really interesting project, I have to say.

"Good football, intense style, different approaches, so really good. Spalletti is a good coach, so nobody should be surprised, and he's obviously pretty relaxed about maybe some nervous things around. So, it's probably a really good fit – that's how it looks."

Arthur Melo, on loan at Liverpool from Juventus, will be familiar with Napoli after his exploits in Serie A and could make his debut against Spalletti's side, but Klopp warns the midfielder will need time to settle.

"Arthur needs now just football – and training, especially – that's how it is. He wasn't in team training for a while at Juve, so he needs proper team training – and that's what we are doing with him," Klopp explained.

"Can he play minutes? Yes. Should he play full game? No, because he needs to get used to the intensity in each competition. It's not like in the Champions League you have to work less than in the Premier League.

"Not at all, especially not here. He is doing well, he is really giving his absolute all in training. We have to be careful with him as well, and then we will see whether we can use him."