Napoli have point to prove as Dortmund visit

SSC Napoli begin only their second UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign with the visit of Borussia Dortmund, last season's runners-up.

Previous meetings
• In the first competitive meeting between the teams, new Napoli coach Rafael Benítez will be hoping to improve on the club's recent record against German opponents – no wins and five defeats in the last seven fixtures.

• Their overall record is W3 D4 L7 while at home it is W3 D1 L3. 

• Napoli's last victory over a German side was a hugely significant moment when, with Diego Maradona in his pomp, they beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1 at home before drawing 3-3 away to lift their only European trophy, the 1989 UEFA Cup.

• In that campaign they also beat two other German opponents: 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig, 3-1 on aggregate in the second round, and FC Bayern München, 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

• This is Dortmund's first Italian examination since the 2008/09 UEFA Cup first round tie with Udinese Calcio in which the away team prevailed 2-0 in both legs, the German club losing 4-3 on penalties. Gökhan Inler scored Udinese's second goal in the first leg.

• Dortmund, who are in their ninth UEFA Champions League campaign, did not beat Italian opponents until their eighth fixture. In a total of 27 games their record is W9 D4 L14; in Italy it is W4 D1 L8.

Match background
• Benítez enjoyed winning starts in his first UEFA Champions League group stage games with three of his previous clubs – Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC and Valencia CF. His first fixture for FC Internazionale Milano ended in a draw.

• Since returning to continental competition in 2008 after an absence of 13 years, Napoli had established a formidable home record and went unbeaten in 14 matches before PSV Eindhoven won 3-1 at the Stadio San Paolo in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage. It was the Serie A side's first home loss since a December 1994 defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Cup third round.

• FC Viktoria Plzeň were also victorious in Naples last season, winning 3-0 in the round of 32 en route to a 5-0 aggregate triumph, meaning Napoli have lost their last two European home games.

• Dortmund's greatest moment came when they beat an Italian team, Juventus, 3-1 in Munich to lift the 1997 UEFA Champions League. Last season was their most successful campaign since then, remaining unbeaten until the semi-final second leg when they lost 2-0 at Real Madrid CF.

• That did not prevent Jürgen Klopp's team, 4-1 winners in the home leg, from advancing to the Wembley final where domestic rivals Bayern beat them 2-1. İlkay Gündoğan's penalty brought Dortmund level after Mario Mandžukić's opener only for Arjen Robben's late goal to prove decisive.

• An earlier visit to Santiago Bernabéu in last season's group stage had ended 2-2 while Dortmund also drew 1-1 at Manchester City FC and won 4-1 at AFC Ajax in the group stage. In the knockout rounds they drew 2-2 at FC Shakhtar Donetsk and 0-0 at Málaga CF before the return trip to the Spanish capital.

• Dortmund were 1-0 winners at home to Ajax in their opening fixture last season, ending a run of four matchday one fixtures without a victory (three draws, one defeat). Napoli, meanwhile, drew 1-1 at Manchester City FC on matchday one in 2011/12.

Team ties
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started his career in AC Milan's youth system while Sokratis Papastathopoulos was with the Rossoneri in 2010/11, appearing five times in Serie A.

• Papastathopoulos also featured for Genoa CFC between 2008 and 2010 where he was a team-mate of Giandomenico Mesto.

• Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored in Armenia's 3-1 defeat by Christian Maggio's Italy in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Yerevan on 12 October 2012.

• Nuri Şahin played alongside Higuaín, José María Callejón and Raúl Albiol at Real Madrid in 2011/12. While on loan at Liverpool last season he was a team-mate of Pepe Reina.

• Gonzalo Higuaín took part in all four Real Madrid games against Dortmund last season but did not score. Callejón was a substitute in the 2-2 draw in Madrid while Raúl Albiol was an unused replacement in all four encounters.

• Mats Hummels and Marco Reus scored in Germany's 5-3 defeat by Inler's Switzerland in Basel on 26 May 2012. Marcel Schmelzer, Sven Bender and Gündoğan also played for Germany.