Napoli forward Dries Mertens has revealed that he was left unimpressed by Liverpool’s “This is Anfield” sign ahead of their Champions League clash on Tuesday evening.
The Reds will play host to the Serie A side at Anfield with both sides still yet to confirm their place in the Champions League knockout rounds.
Liverpool vs Napoli: what you need to know
- Jurgen Klopp’s side lost 1-0 to Napoli in the reverse fixture in October
- Lorenzo Insigne scored a last-minute winner to claim three vital points for the Italians in Group C
- The Reds need a 1-0 victory or to win by two goals to progress
- Napoli only need a point to progress
- Paris Saint-Germain – the other side still yet to qualify from Group C this evening – play Red Star Belgrade
Napoli star Mertens has already started with the mind games, insisting that Liverpool’s famous “This is Anfield” sign was both forgettable and unimpressive when he first saw it.
“My strongest memory is that they have a sign saying ‘This is Anfield’ and everyone was talking about it, so I was thinking it’s very big, you know,” he said in an interview with The Times.
“I came through the tunnel and I asked, ‘Where is the thing?’ and they said you missed it and I hadn’t noticed it. So, in the second half, I’m looking at this small thing and asking, ‘Is this so special?’”
Liverpool’s Champions League hopes
Last season, Liverpool famously reached the final of the Champions League but lost 3-1 against La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Since then, Klopp’s side have remained unbeaten in the Premier League after 16 games but have seen their European performances fall below par.
That being said, they started this season’s campaign off superbly, beating Group C rivals and oil-rich Ligue 1 side PSG 3-2 at Anfield in the first game of the competition.
Since then, the Reds have lost three times – 1-0 vs Napoli, 2-0 vs Red Star Belgrade and most recently 2-1 vs PSG in Paris – and despite beating Red Star Belgrade 4-0 on home soil, have ultimately been disappointing up until this point.
However, if they can record a convincing win over their tough Italian opposition this evening, all of that will be forgotten and Klopp’s side will be anticipating an extremely exciting prospect of entering the 2019 calendar year as unbeaten Premier League contenders and European hopefuls.
The post “Is this so special?” – Napoli star Dries Mertens unimpressed by Liverpool’s famous Anfield sign appeared first on Squawka News.
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