Hodgson out to vanquish Napoli memories with Liverpool

The top sides in UEFA Europa League Group K meet on Matchday 3 with SSC Napoli looking to secure a first group stage win against pacesetters Liverpool FC, whose manager will be looking for a better result than on his last visit to the Stadio San Paolo.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition, and this is Napoli's first competitive game against an English side.

• Liverpool's 21 games against Italian opponents have ended W7 D4 L10 (W2 D3 L5 in Italy).

Match background
• Napoli have not lost in four European games this season. They have gone five home matches unbeaten in continental competition since a 1-0 UEFA Cup third round loss to Eintracht Frankfurt on 7 December 1994.

• Liverpool are unbeaten in seven European games since a 1-0 loss at Club Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of last season's UEFA Europa League semi-finals.

Team facts
• Napoli left-back Andrea Dossena knows Liverpool well having spent 18 months there prior to moving back to his native Italy in January. Capped ten times by Italy, Dossena joined Liverpool from Udinese Calcio in 2008, and at the time was only the club's second Italian signing, following in the footsteps of Daniele Padelli – a goalkeeper brought in on loan from UC Sampdoria in 2007.

• Napoli midfielder Hassan Yebda spent last season on loan in England with Portsmouth FC, though his side were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season.

• Liverpool's Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen knows Italian football well having played for Juventus from 2008 until he moved to Merseyside this summer.

• A midfielder who spent most of his playing career outside Serie A, Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri worked his way up as a coach, making a major breakthrough by leading AS Livorno Calcio to promotion to the top division in 2003/04. Spells at Reggina Calcio and UC Sampdoria followed before he took the Napoli job in October 2009.

• A schoolteacher and semi-professional defender, Roy Hodgson won four Swedish titles – with Halmstads BK and Malmö FF – and a Danish crown with FC København as a coach. Switzerland, Blackburn Rovers FC, the United Arab Emirates, Viking FK and Finland were also among his many and varied employers. He also coached in Italy, taking charge of FC Internazionale and Udinese Calcio.

• While at Inter, Hodgson faced Napoli on six occasions with a record reading W3 D2 L1 (W1 D1 L1 in Naples). That away draw came in Hodgson's last visit to the Stadio San Paolo, a 1997 Coppa Italia semi-final second leg that went to penalties with Inter losing 6-4 in the shoot-out.