Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti believes his side have improved from the one that Liverpool faced last season.
The Italian giants secured a 1-0 win over Jurgen Klopp's side at the San Paolo stadium, before a Mo Salah goal separated the two at Anfield two months later.
And despite going on to claim last season's crown, Klopp's side lost all three of their group games away from home last season, and Ancelotti is confident his side can secure another famous victory.
“Liverpool have grown because last season gave them so much awareness,” the former Chelsea boss told the assembled press at his pre-match press conference.
“On the other hand, we’ve also grown because we’ve added more quality to their squad.
“It’ll be a hard-fought match as we’ll be facing the best team in Europe. We hope to get the same result as last season."
Before Ancelotti added: “As for formation, we mustn’t distort our identity and idea.
"We must take inspiration from the good things we’ve done and the problems we’ve been faced with.
“We defended very well against them last season, and the defensive aspect is very important in games like these.
“I expect a team capable of defending when necessary, attacking when the opportunity arises and keeping the ball when needed. We’ll need the perfect game.”
