On Wednesday, September 9, an intriguing encounter will unfold at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium as Napoli host London club Arsenal in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 2026/27 season.
Both clubs are eager to perform better in Europe than they did last year. Arsenal, who were runners-up in the last edition, are determined to clinch their first Champions League trophy in history. Meanwhile, Napoli, having exited the tournament in the group stage during the previous campaign, are eyeing a guaranteed passage into the knockout phase.
The Gunners have kicked off the new season in similar fashion to how they ended the previous one, strengthening their championship-winning squad even further. The impressive depth of Mikel Arteta's squad allows for tactical rotations mid-week without any drop in performance levels.
Arsenal's leaders, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka, are in exceptional form, while their backline appears almost impenetrable.
While Napoli, under the guidance of Massimiliano Allegri, still search for the right balance between defence and attack, their injury concerns and lack of stability present the English side with a golden opportunity to start their European campaign with a win, despite the fervent home support in Naples.
Form analysis and match prediction
Arteta's defence has proved remarkably reliable, posting an expected goals against (xG) tally of just 0.9 across three Premier League outings, with opponents only breaching David Raya's goal once.
In last year’s Champions League, Arsenal won all eight matches in the group stage and remained unbeaten in regular time until the final.
History also favours the Gunners; they have met Napoli four times previously, winning three of those encounters, and notably, neither team has scored in the same match against the other.
Match prediction: A confident Arsenal victory by a scoreline of 2-0.
Expected line-ups
Napoli are approaching the match with significant absentees. Scott McTominay is set to miss out due to scheduled heart surgery, while Alessandro Buondiorno and Luca Marianucci are injured and not listed for group stage selection. Giobane is grappling with a hernia issue, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has sustained an adductor injury, with David Neres also doubtful.
Kevin De Bruyne, the former Manchester City midfielder, is expected to feature in central midfield, with Rasmus Hojlund, previously of Manchester United, leading the line in attack.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are facing their own challenges in defence with William Saliba and Christian Mosquera unavailable due to injury. However, Jurryen Timber is set to return, providing a boost to the squad.
In midfield, Martin Subimendi is expected to start, while Bruno Guimaraes could make his first official appearance in the starting lineup, replacing Declan Rice. In attack, Kai Havertz may give way to Victor Deykeresh, while Eberechi Eze is ready to take up the left-wing position, filling in for new signing Christos Tsolis.
Expected Napoli line-up (4-3-3): Meret – Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola – De Bruyne, Lobotka, Vergara – Politano, Hojlund, Santos.
Expected Arsenal line-up (4-2-3-1): David Raya – Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Incapie – Martin Subimendi, Bruno Guimaraes – Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze – Victor Deykeresh.
Match details and broadcast information
Date and time: Wednesday, September 9, at 22:00 Moscow time (20:00 BST).
Venue: Naples, Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden), VAR official – Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain).
How to watch the match:
Russia and CIS: Live coverage in relevant VK public channels and on Okko.
United Kingdom: TNT Sports 2, HBO Max.
United States: Paramount+, ViX.
Canada: DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada.
Mexico: Max Mexico.
