Napoli striker Fernando Llorente has said that he is looking for ‘revenge’ on Liverpool for last season’s Champions League final.
The veteran frontman was part of the Tottenham Hotspur team that were beaten by the Reds in last campaign’s showpiece event, but completed a switch to the Serie A giants this summer.
Now, he’s looking to take down Jurgen Klopp’s side: “I want revenge tomorrow,” he said, as per Italian outlet Gianluca Di Marzio. “It was painful to lose it, there is a desire to make up for it, but above all tomorrow will be our chance to be at the height of Liverpool.
“But I don’t think I have to give advice to [Carlo] Ancelotti, he will know Liverpool well because he studied it better than anyone. I think we will have to make a perfect match, if we want to win we have to play great football and limit mistakes. ”
OPINION
Llorente is obviously trying to stir the pot heading into this game at the Stadio San Paolo, where the home side beat Liverpool in the group stages last season. Napoli know they are coming up against the best team in Europe, and so they are doing whatever they can to try and get an advantage. Llorente may well want revenge for the Champions League final defeat, but even if Napoli beat the Reds it’s not going to make up for his side failing on European football’s biggest stage. A group stage game that could end up being meaningless – as it ultimately was a year ago – doesn’t equate to winning the Champions League. Still, this is going to be a tough game for Klopp’s team. Napoli are an excellent team and they thrive at home in Naples. Ancelotti has got them set up very well and they have a terrific centre back partnership with Kalidou Koulibaly and Kostas Manolas. The Reds, though, won’t be overly worried by Llorente’s desire for personal revenge.
