I don't think you really need anything beforehand. You might read Engel's Principles of Communism if you'd like a little foundation or background.

I'd keep in mind that Lenin quotes quite a bit of Marx/Engels at length ( I was a little confused as to the structure and what was quoted and what was Lenin at first).

I think Lenin spends some time sniping at Kautsky and other contemporaries of the time. I don't think you're missing much by reading and not really understanding the background there. Maybe a reread really digging into the context is useful later on, though.

Hopefully a comrade can correct me if I'm offbase. It's time for me to reread it, honestly!