Surprise Liverpool man set to start against Napoli

James Milner is set to start for Liverpool in their opening Champions League fixture against Napoli tomorrow night, according to David Maddock of the Mirror.

The Reds kick off their pursuit of their seventh triumph in the competition as they travel to Southern Italy to face Luciano Spalletti’s side.

The Merseyside club will be looking to improve on last season’s Champions League campaign, where they narrowly lost to Real Madrid in Paris.

The European competition will likely be of more importance to Jurgen Klopp after his side’s difficult start to the season, in which they’ve only attained nine points from their opening six Premier League games.

This leaves them five points behind likely title rivals Manchester City at this early stage, and such has been the margin for error in previous seasons, they may feel like their hopes of winning their second title in four seasons are significantly weakened. 

With Liverpool’s ongoing midfield issues, 36-year-old James Milner is expected to start at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium tomorrow night. 

The likes of Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita remain absent with injuries for the Reds, while Jordan Henderson missed Saturday’s goalless draw with Everton, and won't be available for the trip to the continent. 

New signing Arthur Melo was on the bench against the Toffees, but given his lack of recent football, he may not be deemed ready for this one. 

According to David Maddock of the Mirror, these midfield issues mean Milner will likely make his 297th appearance for the Anfield based club, as Klopp’s team look to return to winning ways in Naples. 

The 61-time capped Englishman has come in for criticism for recent performances, with many deeming his physical capabilities to be understandably diminishing.

Milner said, via Anfield Watch: “I feel good and you’re a long time retired, so I want to keep playing for as long as I can. And let’s face it, there are worse places to be playing football than at Liverpool Football Club, so it’s great to be here and I enjoy the pressure and I enjoy the drive.”