Arsenal begin their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a difficult trip to Italy as they face Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night.
Mikel Arteta’s side have made a perfect start to the defence of their Premier League title, winning all three league matches, while Napoli have endured a much less convincing opening under new manager Massimiliano Allegri. The Italian side have lost their last two matches, including a 3-2 defeat at Inter Milan after surrendering a two-goal lead.
Match preview
Arsenal enter the new Champions League campaign with unfinished business after losing last season’s final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. They also had a remarkable league-phase campaign last term, winning all eight of their matches.
The Gunners have carried that form into the new domestic season. They beat Coventry City 3-0 before narrow victories over Aston Villa and Chelsea, with Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea completing a perfect three-from-three Premier League start.
Napoli, meanwhile, began the Serie A season with a 2-0 win at Genoa but subsequently lost 2-1 at home to Como and 3-2 at Inter. Their defeat in Milan was particularly damaging after they had taken a 2-0 lead before conceding three times.
This is therefore a challenging opening to Allegri’s first Champions League campaign with Napoli. The former Juventus manager has already acknowledged that Arsenal are favourites, although he expects his side to approach the contest with “pride and ambition”.
The historical record also favours Arsenal. The clubs have met four times previously, with Arsenal winning three and Napoli one. Arsenal also eliminated Napoli 3-0 on aggregate in the 2018-19 Europa League quarter-finals.
Team News
Napoli will be without Scott McTominay, who underwent a successful procedure for a mild heart arrhythmia and is expected to resume training in around two weeks. He will therefore miss the Champions League opener.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is also unavailable with an adductor problem, while Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci remain sidelined. David Neres is a doubt with a knee issue.
Kevin De Bruyne is in contention for his first Napoli start of the season after appearing from the bench against Genoa. Allegri has several midfield options available but confirmed that Anguissa will not play.
For Arsenal, William Saliba remains out with a back injury, while Cristhian Mosquera did not travel to Naples because of a muscular problem.
There is better news regarding Jurrien Timber. The Dutch defender returned to full training on Tuesday and travelled with the squad, although starting him immediately after such a long absence would represent a risk.
Bruno Guimaraes was an unused substitute against Chelsea after recovering from a knock, while Martin Zubimendi is pushing for a return to the starting XI.
Predicted Lineups
Napoli predicted XI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Rafa Marin, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, Lobotka, Gilmour; Politano, Højlund, Alisson Santos.
Arsenal predicted XI: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapié; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Ødegaard, Tzolis; Havertz.
When is Napoli vs Arsenal?
Napoli vs Arsenal will be played on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples. Kick-off is 8:00pm BST, which is 9:00pm local time in Italy and 12:30am IST on Thursday, September 10.
How to watch Napoli vs Arsenal
In the UK, Napoli vs Arsenal will be shown live on TNT Sports 2, with streaming available through HBO Max. Coverage begins at 7pm BST. For India, Sony LIV is the streaming option.
What we say: Napoli 1-2 Arsenal
Napoli’s home advantage makes this considerably more difficult than Arsenal’s recent Premier League fixtures, but the contrast in current form is hard to ignore.
Arsenal have won four consecutive competitive matches, including Sunday’s victory over Chelsea, while Napoli have lost their last two. The absence of McTominay and Anguissa also leaves Allegri with fewer midfield options against an Arsenal side that should have greater control of possession.
Prediction: Napoli 1-2 Arsenal.
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