Today at 2:45 p.m. ET, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund will go head-to-head in UEFA Champions League Group F action from Naples. The game can be live streamed here.
Coach Jurgen Klopp leads Borussia Dortmund into this match against Napoli, but realizes it could have been the other way around as Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis looked to fill the void left behind the bench after the team was looking to replace Walter Mazzarri in the summer. Klopp turned down the offer.
"Yes he did call me," Klopp told ESPN in Naples, adding that he turned down the position.
Klopp led Dortmund to the Wembley final last season, and he hopes his commitment to Dortmund will help lead the club to more success in the Champions League this year.
Klopp admitted it won't be easy.
"I think this is going to be the most exciting group, and we're part of it," Klopp said per ESPN. "I don't think there is a favorite in this group at all."
Napoli and Dortmund are two teams in a group that also consists of Arsenal and Marseille, which promises that it will be a tight grouping until the finish.
While Klopp turned down the offer for the coaching position, Rafa Benitez accepted it and knows it will be a tough challenge to get through Dortmund, and even said his opposition is most likely the favorite to win, calling them the most in-form team around.
Despite this, Benitez is excited for the challenge and a chance to show how strong his squad really is.
"They were runners up last year and they are top of the Bundesliga, but we are not afraid of anybody, and I don't say this with arrogance," Benitez said per ESPN. "I prefer playing games like this compared to easier ones if we want to show how strong we are."
Napoli midfielder Valon Behrami mirrored his coach's words and even said Napoli had to "treat this like the biggest game of our lives," while admitting that home field will be a big advantage.
"They fear us, which is how things should be," Behrami said per ESPN. "Playing at home could be a big help and we need to take advantage of our home games."
Dortmund has a lot of confidence coming into the game, but will be without injured midfielders Ilkay Gundogan, Sebastian Kehl and Lukasz Piszczek. The squad was without them over the weekend as well, but still managed to dominate Hamburg with a 6-2 victory.
Dortmund is out to repeat history while Napoli has something to prove as these two teams clash this afternoon in Naples.
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