Liverpool face a daunting trip to Italy to face Napoli while Manchester City are expected to overcome Polish opposition in Lech Poznan in Thursday’s Europa League action.
The two Premier League clubs have both won one and drawn one of their opening European games and are well on the way to reaching the knockout stages of the competition formerly known as the UEFA Cup.
On paper, Liverpool’s Thursday test appears the more difficult of the two as they are away from home and in the midst of a crisis both on and off the pitch.
Boardroom wrangling has somewhat overshadowed their dire Premier League form so far this season and they were comprehensively beaten by Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.
They are also going head-to-head with a Napoli side that have started the Serie A season in impressive form.
After seven league games in Italy, Walter Mazzarri’s side are fourth in the domestic table, having won three games already, including victories over Roma and Sampdoria.
Napoli’s European form is less impressive with back-to-back draws against Utrecht (0-0) and Steaua (3-3) leaving them second behind the Reds in the Group K table.
However, they are a dangerous side, especially on home soil, and in Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani and Slovakia playmaker Marek Hamsik have players capable of conjuring up moments of match-winning brilliance.
Meanwhile, Europa League sportsbook favourites City are at home to Lech Poznan.
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Roberto Mancini’s side have quietly gone about their business this season and, following a slow start domestically, are currently riding high in second place in the Premier League table.
In Europe they are joint top of Group A alongside Lech after a 2-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg and impressive 1-1 draw with Juventus already under their belts.
Having acquired players of the European pedigree of Carlos Tevez, Yaya and Kolo Toure and David Silva, big-spending City should be challenging for major continental honours, and anything but outright victory in this year’s Europa League would likely be looked on dimly by the ambitious board.
Lech will be no pushovers as their 3-3 draw with Juventus in Turin on matchday one highlighted, but City should have enough in their locker to win this encounter and take a stranglehold on the group.
That would leave City with one foot in the knockout stages and Mancini able to concentrate on mounting a serious Premier League title challenge.
