Rangers and Napoli's Champions League tie has been delayed by a day over limited police resources following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, UEFA has confirmed.
The pair were set to play their second group stage encounter on September 13, having got their campaigns underway last week with defeat to Ajax and victory over Liverpool respectively.
But now the duo will see their game postponed by 24 hours in order to facilitate a lack of officers amid a nationwide shuffle following the monarch's passing, aged 96, at her Balmoral home on September 8.
In addition, Napoli fans will not be allowed to travel to the match, while Rangers supporters in turn will be barred from making the trip to Italy for the return fixture later this year.
"The UEFA Champions League tie between Rangers FC and SSC Napoli, originally to be played on Tuesday 13 September, has been rescheduled for Wednesday 14 September at 21.00CET," read a UEFA statement.
"This is due to the severe limitations on police resources and organisational issues related to the ongoing events surrounding the national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
"In addition, it was agreed to also postpone the UEFA Youth League game between both teams from Tuesday 13 September to Wednesday 14 September at 15.00CET.
"Away fans will not be authorised at the games, and as a matter of sporting fairness, Rangers’ fans will not be authorised for the return legs in Naples.
"UEFA urges fans not to travel and to respect this extraordinary situation."
The news casts further doubt on a return to action next weekend for football across Britain, with the Premier League potentially facing a double-weekend blackout ahead of the state funeral on September 19.
Stefano Pioli "will work something out" after the "decisive figure" of Rafael Leao was ruled out of next weekend's clash with Napoli following a red card in the 2-1 win over Sampdoria.
Leao had been sensational in the first half at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, setting up Junior Messias' sixth-minute opener with one of three key passes – a total not bettered by anyone on the pitch.
However, his match ended just two minutes into the second half when he received a second booking after he struck Alex Ferrari in the face when attempting an overhead kick.
Samp pulled level through Filip Djuricic, but Milan sealed a fourth win in six Serie A games this season when Olivier Giroud powered home from the penalty spot after Gonzalo Villar had handled in the area.
The champions have now won three successive Serie A games against Sampdoria for the first time since September 2016.
Second-placed Milan are level on points with leaders Napoli, who visit San Siro on Sunday, and Pioli accepted he might have to play a different way in the absence of Leao.
"Both teams are missing a lot, but we're missing Leao and Ante Rebic; both players who cover that role," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"We had to play 50 minutes with 10 men. We know there's a big Champions League game coming up [at home to Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday], so we'll focus on that first and then see what to do against Napoli.
"Rafa is becoming a decisive figure in our attack, but we have other alternatives and will work something out with different characteristics.
"I saw Leao joking around a lot in the warm-up, but I told him he tends to play well when he's that relaxed and he said 'don't worry, boss'. In hindsight, I should've worried.
"It's disappointing. I had told him to be careful on the yellow, but he wanted to attempt this move. Never mind, someone else will play."
Samp went agonisingly close to rescuing a point in a late scramble as Mike Maignan twice denied Manolo Gabbiadini either side of a Fabio Quagliarella effort that struck the post.
Pioli was thrilled with his side's ability to grind out the result and believes it is evidence they are moving in the right direction.
"We played a good first half and could've scored more goals, but this was a hard-fought victory," he added.
"We had to grit our teeth when we went down to 10 men and the lads worked hard on every ball. Sampdoria had already drawn with Juventus and Lazio here, so it was by no means easy.
"We had told ourselves we wanted to make fewer technical errors and I think we did that today, so we're on the right track."
Former Juventus coach Fabio Capello thinks the Bianconeri enjoyed the best transfer window of any Serie A club, but still believes they are not favourites to lift the Scudetto.
Juventus have claimed two wins and three draws during a solid if unspectacular start to the new season, and have faced criticism for their ponderous style of play under Massimiliano Allegri.
Their underwhelming performances have come in the aftermath of a window in which the Turin giants acquired Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Gleison Bremer, Filip Kostic and Leandro Paredes.
Capello was impressed by their recruitment, particularly with the decision to replace Matthijs de Ligt with Bremer, but does not believe they will win their first title since 2019-20 this season.
Speaking to SportWeek, Capello said: "Looking at the names, Juventus were the winners.
"They had a top summer with Di Maria, Pogba, Paredes, all champions that other teams don't have. Bremer is better than de Ligt on a defensive level.
"Juve have invested in quality, catching up with Inter and Milan. Without the new players they're already among the top teams, while the others lost players."
However, when asked for his title favourites, Capello added: "It's still Inter, even though they lost [Ivan] Perisic and have [Romelu] Lukaku injured. The Belgian is the market coup of the summer.
"Milan made an important effort for [Charles] De Ketelaere, whom I confess I don't know.
"Napoli have replaced the departing players with good alternatives. Lazio will also be one to watch."
Juventus spent an estimated €105million during the transfer window, more than any other club in the Italian top-flight.
However, they have been beset by injury troubles in recent weeks, with a knee injury threatening to rule Pogba out of the upcoming World Cup and a thigh problem continuing to plague Di Maria.
Napoli were not interested in signing Cristiano Ronaldo in the recent transfer window due to their desire to build a younger side, according to sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli.
Ronaldo reportedly declared his intention to leave Manchester United after they missed out on Champions League qualification last season, but he failed to complete a transfer before the end of the window.
The likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid ruled out a move for the 37-year-old Portuguese legend after being touted as potential destinations, while Napoli were also linked.
Ronaldo has only started one of United's six Premier League games this season, playing just 207 minutes of league football under Erik ten Hag.
Napoli, meanwhile, have made a bright start to their Serie A campaign despite losing the likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, and Giuntoli believes a move for Ronaldo would not have fitted with the club's transfer policy.
"During the transfer market we pretend to chat with everyone, and sometimes we do it for real," he said on Friday.
"But we wanted to invest in a young team."
Napoli were also linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas after selling midfielder Fabian Ruiz to the French giants, but Giuntoli does not see that deal being revived.
"PSG were interested in Fabian, whom we had to sell, we could bring a high-level goalkeeper to Naples to work alongside [Alex] Meret. In the end, the operation was closed.
"They did not find an agreement on the salary with the player and we knew we had a binding ceiling that we do not breach for anyone."
Asked whether Navas would be targeted in January, he said: "No, we trust Meret. We are happy that he stayed and against Liverpool he had a great game. Enduring the pressure of the summer did him good."
Napoli remain unbeaten in Serie A this season and made a scintillating start to their Champions League campaign by thrashing Liverpool 4-1 on Wednesday.
But Luciano Spalletti's men suffered a blow when striker Victor Osimhen hobbled off shortly before the break, and the club have now confirmed the Nigeria international suffered a hamstring injury.
"As scheduled, Victor Osimhen underwent diagnostic tests this morning which revealed a second degree injury to his right hamstring," a Napoli statement read on Friday. "The striker had already started carrying out therapies yesterday."
"Stick together, don't point fingers. Everyone knows that everyone can do better. What I said, we're not robots, we're trying to perform and you can have bad moments.
"It's how you deal with them and now we'll definitely have a good look at what happened, speak with each other and focus on the game ahead of us.
"It's good for us that there's a game quite quickly after this and hopefully [we] get a great performance and result."
Liverpool host Wolves in their next Premier League outing on Saturday, before resuming their continental campaign against Ajax on Tuesday.
Van Dijk knows the importance of getting their Champions League group-stage campaign back on track as quickly as possible, adding: "It can change, definitely.
"There's so many games still to play but you wanted to have a good start. The situation is how it is.
"Next game in the Champions League will be Ajax at home and we need the fans, we need a good performance from us.
"It starts obviously on Saturday with a good opportunity against a good side as well, so we'll give everything. What I said, the key is to be together. We need everyone.
"If you start blaming others and don't look at yourself or create negativity around the club, then you're not getting out of this. I'm fully confident that we'll turn this around together."
Wednesday's demoralising reverse means Liverpool have lost on all three of their trips to Napoli under Jurgen Klopp, the most they've travelled to a particular side without avoiding defeat during his tenure.
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's owners "expect me to sort it out" when asked if he feared going the same way as compatriot Thomas Tuchel.
Klopp's fellow German coach was dismissed by Chelsea on Wednesday, with new Blues owner Todd Boehly cutting ties with the former Paris Saint-Germain boss in the wake of Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
That was Tuchel's 100th match in charge of Chelsea in all competitions. In his 18 months at the helm, he guided the Blues to a Champions League success, a Super Cup triumph and Club World Cup glory, as well as three domestic finals.
Chelsea failed to win any of those three domestic finals, with two of them coming as penalty shoot-out losses to Klopp's Liverpool last season.
The Reds, meanwhile, have hardly enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign. A 9-0 hammering of Bournemouth aside, Liverpool have looked a shadow of their best, and were thrashed 4-1 by Napoli in their opening Champions League match on Wednesday.
It was the heaviest defeat suffered by an English side in their Champions League opener since Arsenal lost 3-0 to Inter in 2003, while it also marked Liverpool's joint-worst loss in the competition.
Yet asked if he was worried for his future, Klopp – who has been at Anfield since 2015 – told reporters: "Not really, but who knows? The difference [between us and Chelsea] is we have different kinds of owners.
"Ours are calm and expect me to sort it and not think someone else will."
Klopp has plenty of goodwill in the bank, given the enormous success he has enjoyed at Liverpool, taking the Reds to three Champions League finals, and winning one in 2019, as well as their maiden Premier League title (2020) and winning both of England's domestic cups this year.
Jamie Carragher, who helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2005, is concerned as to what the immediate future might hold, however.
Carragher, a pundit for CBS Sports, said: "The problem is not that game, forget this game, for me the big worry is that is this almost something that’s going to carry on through the season, is this the end of a cycle, have Liverpool massively got their transfer ideas wrong?
"This team looks so far off it and it has been at full pelt for five or six years under Jurgen Klopp and in seven games Liverpool have played this season, they've conceded the first goal in five, so they're not starting games well.
"I'm not going to criticise their attitude because what this team have done, certainly in Europe, the Premier League – the mentality is fantastic – but is this a massive drop off physically? Can this team get it back, that's the worry for me. What's going to happen in the future for this team?
"This is only the fourth game Liverpool have lost in 2022, it shows how consistent they've been, but the performances, more than the results, are what's worrying me right now."
Luciano Spalletti acknowledged Napoli's 4-1 Champions League hammering of Liverpool will cause a "stir" as he urged his players to deliver again after laying down a benchmark.
Goals from Piotr Zielinski, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone sent Napoli in 3-0 up at half-time, though it could have been four if Victor Osimhen's penalty was not saved by Alisson.
That marked just the fourth occasion Liverpool have found themselves three goals down at the interval in the Champions League, with Zielinski adding a fourth soon after the break.
Luis Diaz curled in a fine curling effort to reduce the deficit, but the Reds never recovered from a toothless showing as they fell to their joint-heaviest defeat in the competition.
Napoli are also unbeaten in their last nine Champions League home matches (W6 D3), scoring 20 goals and conceding just five in this spell – which includes three wins over Liverpool.
With an impressive showing in UEFA's flagship club competition, Spalletti suggested his side have placed a marker for their performances and must seize the initiative after a memorable victory.
"It is an important result because the measures are always taken based on who the opponent is, and they are called Liverpool so the result will cause a bit of a stir," coach Spalletti told Amazon Prime Video.
"What becomes fundamental is to play the football we know how to do and follow it up for 95 minutes, without going in flashes, that highlights the level of personality."
Asked if the victory served as a lesson for what Napoli could achieve, Spalletti added: "No lessons, no presumption, no arrogance.
"When you play for Napoli you have to do this every day. We played a good game, now let's think about Spezia."
Napoli will look to capitalise on the impetus from their victory over Liverpool when they host Spezia on Saturday before facing Rangers, who were smashed 4-0 by Ajax in Wednesday's other Group A game.
Jurgen Klopp conceded Liverpool must "reinvent" themselves after their underwhelming start to the season continued with a 4-1 hammering at Napoli in the Champions League.
Liverpool trailed by three goals at half-time for just the fourth time in their Champions League history after strikes from Piotr Zielinski, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone on Wednesday.
Victor Osimhen also missed a first-half penalty after another slow start from Liverpool, who have conceded first in five games this season in all competitions, the joint-most of any Premier League side.
Zielinski added a second strike after the interval, with Luis Diaz scoring a consolation goal as Liverpool fell to their joint-heaviest defeat in the Champions League.
An abject showing in Naples, coupled with just two wins in six Premier League games, left manager Klopp questioning whether Liverpool need to reshape to tackle a challenging start.
"Really tough to take, it's not that difficult to explain when you watched the game. To start with the two penalties, okay first of all Napoli played a really good game, we didn't, that is the first explanation for the defeat," the German told BT Sport.
"They scored one penalty and missed another but the next two goals we served on a plate, that's not cool and we should defend better. Then 3-0 down having chances but never really in the game.
"We were not compact defensively or offensively. Until Thiago [Alcantara] entered the pitch I cannot remember one counter-pressing situation, we were too wide.
"Everything is obvious but why it happened is now the question, I cannot answer now, let me think about it. It is a really tough cookie to take, but I have to take it.
"We played bad first halves, unfortunately, usually we don't concede three, though – with Alisson in the goal you have to be really bad to do it. We did the same here when we lost 2-0 [in 2019-20].
"It looks like we have to reinvent ourselves, there's a lot of things lacking – not in all games – but the fun part is we have do that in the middle of a Premier League season and Champions League campaign."
Wolves are next up for Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, and Klopp suggested Bruno Lage's side will be relishing playing the Reds amid a poor run of form.
"In three days we play against Wolves, if they saw the game tonight they cannot stop laughing probably, I would say it is the perfect moment [to play us]," he added.
"We have to find a setup to be much better in everything. You could see it on the pitch, we were not working as a team, nothing to do with personal stuff, but we didn't play good enough it is obvious and clear.
"We play in the strongest league in the world and have a tough Champions League group, but it is my responsibility and I need time to think about.
"There a few things that are obvious but it is my job to find out more to reset and go."
Andy Robertson urged Liverpool to "wake up quickly" after a dire first-half performance resulted in a 4-1 humbling at Napoli in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Liverpool have failed to live up to early expectations in the Premier League, winning just twice in six games, and their poor start to the season continued in Naples.
Piotr Zielinski converted from the penalty spot after just five minutes, before Alisson denied Victor Osimhen's spot-kick – but that only denied the inevitable for the out-of-sorts Reds.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone, the latter on his Champions League debut, added further goals before half-time, with Zielinski adding a fourth after the interval.
It was just the fourth time Liverpool have found themselves three goals down at half-time in the competition, with Luis Diaz's second-half strike making little difference for Jurgen Klopp's side.
The thrashing marked the Reds' joint-heaviest defeat in the Champions League, and Robertson offered an honest appraisal after the game.
"We were miles too open. You can't come to a place like this and not be compact. They were by miles the better team," the Scotland international told BT Sport.
"Too many times they had spaces to run at us and cause us problems. You come away in the Champions League and you can't be wide open like that. We have to get back to basics and be compact.
"We deserve this result, even though we created chances. The way we were wide open they found so many spaces, that's not like us. It felt like they had an extra man.
"You have to be ready to fight. We weren't close enough to our mate when they went to press the ball, people weren't backing each other up soon enough.
"They hit the post within the first minute then they get a penalty, and another one and you're 3-0 down. We had two good chances to make it a bit different – but you can't dwell on that.
"We have to wake up quickly because we can't perform like that."
Liverpool will look to respond at home to Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday before hosting Ajax, who smashed Rangers 4-0 in Group A's other game on matchday one.
Piotr Zielinski struck twice and assisted another as Liverpool's poor start to the season continued with a humbling 4-1 defeat at Napoli in their Champions League opener.
Jurgen Klopp's side have underwhelmed in their first six Premier League games, winning just twice, and were behind after only five minutes in Naples following Zielinski's penalty.
Alisson denied Victor Osimhen's spot-kick just 13 minutes later, but Napoli were 3-0 up at half-time after strikes from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone, the latter on his Champions League debut.
Zielinski finished past Alisson again after the interval before Luiz Diaz responded with a bending effort – a mere consolation goal for Liverpool in the Group A encounter.
Osimhen rounded Alisson before striking the post with just a minute played, but Napoli were soon ahead after James Milner handled Zielinski's effort inside the area.
Zielinski found the bottom-left corner from the resulting penalty and another spot-kick arrived soon after when VAR sent referee Carlos del Cerro Grande to check a Virgil van Dijk foul on Osimhen, who was then denied by Alisson diving to his right.
Van Dijk cleared off the line with the goal gaping for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but Napoli doubled their lead when Zielinski teed up Anguissa, who fired under the onrushing Alisson.
Alex Meret tipped away a goal-bound Van Dijk header before Simeone, on for the injured Osimhen, turned Kvaratskhelia's driven cross into an empty net on the stroke of half-time.
Zielinski doubled his account just two minutes after the break, dinking over Alisson on the rebound following Simeone's pass, before Diaz curled into the bottom-right corner after Andy Robertson's offload.
Meret pushed a powerful Diaz header over from Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross but Liverpool were unable to recover after a toothless first-half showing.
What does it mean? Liverpool's group-stage run ends as Napoli struggles continue
Liverpool cruised to six wins from as many group-stage games in last year's competition but their attempts to become the first English side to win seven straight such matches ended abruptly.
The Reds have conceded the first goal in five games in all competitions this season, the joint-most of any Premier League side, and were never going to recover after finding themselves three down at half-time in the Champions League for just a fourth time.
Liverpool's third Champions League defeat at Napoli in the last five seasons leaves Group A wide open after the first matchday, in which Ajax smashed Rangers 4-0 in Wednesday's other game.
Kvaratskhelia leaves Trent spinning
Klopp heaped praise on Luciano Spalletti's "interesting project" before the clash and pinpointed Zielinski as the main threat – and the midfielder responded with two goals and an assist.
But Kvaratskhelia should also take the plaudits after regularly tormenting Alexander-Arnold, creating a team-high three chances – one of those the assist for Simeone's goal – before his 57th-minute removal.
Van Dijk dives in
Van Dijk epitomises Klopp's revolution at Liverpool, with his calmness and authority in defence characterising the dominant Reds, but his performances have left much to be desired in recent weeks.
The centre-back fouled Osimhen for the second spot-kick, the second penalty he has conceded in his last seven appearances for the Reds. He had previously not given one away in 150 games in all competitions.
What's next?
Liverpool will aim to recover when they return to Premier League action at home to Wolves on Saturday, while Napoli host Spezia in Serie A on the same day.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played just 10 times for Lokomotiv Moscow, and only one of those appearances was as a starter.
Yet, his father claimed in 2020 that then-Lokomotiv coach Yury Syomin cried actual tears when Kvaratskhelia said he would not be staying beyond the end of his initial loan agreement. The youngster also apparently broke down.
Seemingly the teenaged Kvaratskhelia made quite the impression on his coach, though curiously not enough to play on a regular basis. It's fair to say Kvaratskhelia's decision to move on and ultimately join fellow Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan was a smart one.
"After that, I was glad my son was in Rubin, where they let him play football," Kvaratskhelia Sr added, and it was in Kazan where the talented winger began to consistently show the talents that Napoli will hope can help them get the better of the mighty Liverpool on Wednesday.
Kvaratskhelia will make his Champions League bow when the Reds come to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, a commendable achievement given his rollercoaster of a 2022.
Turbulent times
A couple of weeks on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, FIFA made it possible for foreign players and coaches in both countries to suspend their contracts.
Kvaratskhelia was eligible for such action, and while he did suspend his agreement, it seemed his initial plan was to eventually return to Rubin.
However, he and the club later announced a mutual termination after it emerged his family were subject to threats due to the original decision of not permanently leaving Russia.
He saw out the remainder of the 2021-22 season back home in Georgia with Dinamo Batumi – it was clearly a level below his usual standard as he scored eight goals in 11 league games, but it helped keep Kvaratskhelia sharp for his national team, netting three times from four Nations League outings in June.
Nevertheless, few would have considered those early months of the year to be ideal for a young talent hoping to make the step up to one of Europe's major leagues – that was where he had previously looked destined to end up.
Arsenal had been known admirers for a long time, sending scouts to watch him as early as September 2019. Several other English and Italian clubs were linked with him, but it was Napoli who ultimately took the punt.
The early signs suggest it is going to pay off for them rather handsomely.
Blossoming at Napoli
Replacing a club great is never a simple task, but if Kvaratskhelia continues at his current rate, Lorenzo Insigne will become a distant memory very quickly.
Insigne's move to Toronto in Major League Soccer came as something of a surprise when initially announced, and filling that void with a player who had most recently been playing in Georgia will have raised some eyebrows.
Additionally, bringing in Kvaratskhelia for Insigne was hardly like-for-like. The latter was all about dropping deep and essentially playing as a playmaker, with his 74.1 touches and 45.2 successful passes per 90 minutes both highs among Opta-classified forwards (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in Serie A last term.
Kvaratskhelia is far more direct and intent on getting in behind the defence, while his ability on the ball makes him a threat both as a carrier and dribbler – his nine carries with a take-on is bettered by only Rafael Leao (12) among wingers this term.
A predominantly right-footed winger who prefers to operate from the left, one might expect him to be a little one-dimensional, but he has already shown in Serie A how effective he can be chopping back on to his left foot, bamboozling the Monza defence with a feint before slotting home left-footed in last month's 4-0 win.
That was one of four goals already this season, none of which were penalties – that is a haul no player can better without adding in spot-kicks, and that form helped him win the first Player of the Month award of the campaign.
Of course, it remains early days in his Napoli career, but he has taken to Serie A with promising ease and has a style of play that will endear him to a set of supporters always ready to fall in love with talented attackers.
Hopefully Syomin's tears of disappointment will turn to pride when 'Kvaradona' makes his Champions League introduction on Wednesday.
The most decorated club competition in the world is back underway, and Wednesday's Champions League action promises some fireworks.
Winners in 2019-20, Bayern Munich will travel to the San Siro to take on Inter, while last year's runners-up Liverpool head to Napoli for a game they are favoured in.
Reigning Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt will look to keep up Germany's strong record against Portuguese teams when they host Sporting CP, and Harry Kane will be aiming to build on his superb European record as Tottenham host Marseille.
For a closer look, Stats Perform have dove into some interesting facts and nuggets about each matchup on Wednesday to give a clearer picture about how these clashes of champions may play out.
Inter v Bayern Munich
After their last Champions League run ended in a quarter-final loss to Villarreal, Bayern Munich will be desperate for a much improved result as they seek their seventh title, beginning their campaign away from home against Inter.
The sides have evenly split their seven previous European meetings, with three wins each and one draw, although it has been over a decade since their last Champions League fixture back in 2011.
While they do not have much recent history against Bayern in this competition, Inter's games against German opponents have turned into goal-fests, with 39 total goals (19 for, 20 against) in their past 10 matches.
Bayern have had much more success against Italian sides, going unbeaten in their past 10 (8W, 2D) – with their last loss coming in that 2011 battle with Inter, and the Nerazzurri were also the last side to keep a clean sheet against them in the 2010 final.
Romelu Lukaku will be a hard man to replace for the Italians as he will be absent after suffering a thigh injury. In his 16 European contests for Inter, he has 17 goal involvements (13 goals and four assists).
Napoli v Liverpool
This will be the third time in the past five seasons that Napoli and Liverpool have landed in the same Champions League group after back-to-back years in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with the Italian side winning all three of their home games.
Napoli have not featured in the last two editions of Europe's top competition, but they were a force in the group stage before their drought, with only one loss from their previous 12 matches (5W, 6D).
Mohamed Salah's seven goals in last season's group stage was the second-most ever in a group stage from a player on an English team, trailing only Ruud van Nistelrooy's eight during Manchester United's 2004-05 campaign. Salah is also one assist away from tying James Milner and Steven Gerrard for Liverpool's record number of assists in the Champions League (12).
Tottenham v Marseille
In the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides, Tottenham will likely be confident in their ability to get the job done at home against a Marseille side long removed from any Champions League success.
From their past 15 Champions League games, Marseille have only one win, against Olympiakos in 2020. English sides have given them particular trouble as well, as they have 12 losses against Premier League sides in their history in the competition – twice as many as against any other nation (six losses against Italian teams).
Harry Kane will be looking to add to his stellar European record, with 23 goal involvements (20 goals, three assists) in 24 career fixtures. Of all players with at least 20 Champions League goals, only Erling Haaland (64), Mario Gomez (102) and Lionel Messi (103.7) have a better minutes-per-goal figure than Kane's 104.4
Eintracht Frankfurt v Sporting CP
The reigning Europa League champions, Eintracht Frankfurt are making history with their first-ever Champions League berth, becoming the 14th German side to ever qualify – breaking the tie with Spain (13) for the most by any nation.
German sides have given Sporting trouble over the years, with 13 losses and one draw from 14 tries in European competition, with that emerging as a theme between the two nations.
Against all Portuguese sides, German teams are undefeated in their past 15 Champions League matches (13W, 2L) dating back to 2006.
After netting five times in last season's Europa League triumph to take his tally up to 11, Eintracht's Daichi Kamada can enter the club's record books as one of their top-three goalscorers in European competition with one more.
Other fixtures:
Ajax v Rangers
20 - Ajax scored 20 goals in their six matches in last year's Champions League group stage, winning all six. It is the most goals they have ever scored in a Champions League group stage, before being eliminated by Benfica in the first knockout round.
19 - This will be Rangers' first Champions League appearance since 2010-11, and in their history, only Anderlecht (17 per cent) have a worse winning percentage in the competition than Rangers' 19 per cent. They have lost all four of their previous European meetings against Ajax.
Atletico Madrid v Porto
13 - This will be Atletico Madrid's 13th Champions League campaign, moving them past Valencia into the third-most for a Spanish side, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 27). This is Atletico's 10th berth in a row, all under Diego Simeone.
26 - This is Porto's 26th Champions League, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid. If they were to be eliminated in the group stage this season, it would be the first time they failed to make it through the group stage in back-to-back campaigns since 1998.
Club Brugge v Bayer Leverkusen
1 - There has been only one win from a Belgian side against a German team in 24 Champions League meetings (18L, 5D) – and it was Brugge just last season, defeating RB Leipzig 2-1.
9 - Leverkusen have failed to win the opening match of their Champions League run the past nine times they have qualified (8L, 1D), with their last opening win coming in 2001.
Barcelona v Viktoria Plzen
33 - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandwoski is the top overall Champions League goal-scorer from the past three seasons, with 33 goals in 26 games. Last season, he netted nine goals in five home games,
24 - In their only two previous Champions League fixtures against Barcelona, Viktoria Plzen have averaged 24 per cent of the possession, and have lost the shot-count by a combined margin of 36-4.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has scoffed at a question about Napoli being "a dangerous city" despite the club warning traveling fans they could be targeted during their Champions League visit.
The Reds take on Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday in their first Champions League fixture since May's final loss to Real Madrid in Paris, where chaotic scenes unfolded outside the venue for their fans, including bottleneck queues and being sprayed with tear gas.
In the lead-up to Wednesday's game, The club issued a series of recommendations to traveling fans, warning they could be "targeted for theft, robbery or assault".
Twitter account Liverpool FC Help posted the recommendations including remaining in their hotel to drink and eat, not congregating in public areas, and avoiding the city centre, which the club's managing director Andy Hughes reiterated. He added that traveling fans should use official coaches to get to the stadium, rather than make their own way in the interest of personal safety.
But Klopp would not be drawn on that, when asked in Tuesday's press conference if he believed Naples was a "dangerous city".
"That's an embarrassing question from you," Klopp said. "You want to create headlines. I really don't understand.
"Are you from Napoli? Do you think it's a dangerous city? I don't live a normal life in Napoli. I am protected, I go to the hotel and now you ask me what I think about Napoli.
"You know exactly what people are talking about. If 'some' supporters meet 'some' supporters then 'something' can happen. Nothing to do with the city.
"But I'm not here to create headlines for you, and if you don't know what to ask anymore then that's no problem.
"I would love to go to the hotel to be honest and concentrate on the game tomorrow. It looks like you don't know what to ask anymore because of the question."
Hughes said the club understood the trip "may be a daunting prospect" for fans in light of the events in Paris.
He added: "Our supporters have faced a number of issues when traveling to Naples in the past.
"I do understand that some fans will want to make an occasion out of this trip. However, in this case I'd urge supporters not to wander into the city on their own, or to be wearing club colours during their stay in Naples."
Liverpool were grouped together with Napoli in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Champions League editions.
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."
Istanbul awaits next June, and this week the journey starts as the group stage of the Champions League begins.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to reach the final and lift the trophy. Most will fail in that quest, but that's not to say those who don't win the competition are failures.
Every year we enjoy breakout seasons from individuals in the Champions League as they announce themselves on the biggest stage.
Whether those performances earn big-money moves or simply greater acclaim, you can expect there to be a few players you might not be very familiar with who go on to impress.
Ahead of the first round of games, Stats Perform has identified a few to keep an eye out for.
Tanguy Nianzou, centre-back, 20 – Sevilla
After coming through Paris Saint-Germain's academy and then spending a season at Bayern Munich, France youth international Nianzou joined Sevilla as the replacement for Jules Kounde in pre-season.
It's been a rocky start for the youngster. He's part of a defence that's looked extremely unconvincing, with their expected goals against (excluding penalties) of 7.5 the second-worst in LaLiga after four games, three of which Sevilla have lost.
On matchday one, Nianzou will come up against Erling Haaland and Manchester City. The defender is very highly rated, but this will be a massive test of his readiness for regular football at such a level.
Goncalo Ramos, forward, 21 – Benfica
If you believe transfer gossip, there were plenty of clubs ready to prise Ramos from Benfica in the transfer window, but ultimately he stayed put and will be considered Darwin Nunez's replacement this season.
A well-rounded striker, Ramos works hard, is up for a physical battle and is technically proficient. Last season, he scored seven Primeira Liga goals as back-up to Nunez, although his early form in that regard this term suggests work is needed.
His two strikes from 3.9 xG show he's getting into good situations but isn't yet proving clinical – albeit he did net four in Champions League qualifying.
Benfica are in a group with Juventus and PSG, so they'll hope Ramos finds a reliable streak to aid their outside chance of progression.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, winger, 21 – Napoli
The first winner of Serie A's Player of the Month award of the new season – and in his very first month in the league – it's been some introduction from Kvaratskhelia.
He was playing back home in Georgia in the second half of last season after being able to suspend his contract at Rubin Kazan amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His deal was then terminated by Rubin after it emerged he was subject to death threats after leaving.
Kvaratskhelia had been linked with numerous big clubs but eventually landed at Napoli as Lorenzo Insigne's replacement. They may not be anything alike as players, but that's not stopped Kvaratskhelia having a major early impact with four goals in five Serie A games.
A tall winger who possesses great dribbling skills, he's a player primed to make a statement this season.
Lorenzo Lucca, striker, 21 – Ajax
He may only be 21, but Lucca's fledgling career has already been somewhat nomadic, finding himself registered as a senior player at six clubs – the latest being Ajax, whom he joined on loan with an option to buy from Serie B side Pisa.
Remarkably, the last of his six league goals for Pisa last season came in October, so it's clear the jury is still out and he has a lot to prove, but he has the attributes to be a threat for any team.
Standing at just over two metres tall, Lucca is a giant, yet he also possesses a surprising turn of pace and is technically very good. The Italy Under-21 international has only played 21 minutes with the first team this season, but he has three goals in two games for the second string.
It's unlikely he'll be a key figure for Ajax, but given his skillset he will be a viable option at times – let's just see if he can take his chances.
Matt O'Riley, midfielder, 21 – Celtic
Last season, O'Riley was playing in League One for MK Dons; on Tuesday, he'll likely line-up against Real Madrid. It's been quite a quick ascension for the gifted midfielder.
A product of Fulham's academy, O'Riley left the Cottagers stunned when he rejected a new contract in 2020. He spent six months training with Dons and then signed for them in January 2021 – that saw him exposed to first-team football and a year later he was at Celtic.
The London-born Denmark Under-21 international has enjoyed a wonderful start to the season, with his vision and ball-playing abilities marking him out as a real creative threat and earning links to Manchester United.
How he fares in the Champions League with the step up in quality could prove crucial with respect to his short-term future.
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