The 2026/27 Champions League gets underway this week, and last season’s runners-up Arsenal travel to face Napoli on Wednesday at 8pm.
Arsenal narrowly lost the 2025/26 Champions League final, beaten by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. It was just the Gunners’ second appearance in the showpiece, after also losing in 2005/06. But they enter this tournament as defending English champions, buoyed by a perfect start to the new campaign.
Napoli, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back from their league phase exit last season. The Italian side finished 30th out of 36 teams, taking just eight points from their eight games. Napoli haven’t started the new season well, either, with one win and two defeats from their three league matches.
These two sides have met four times before, including in the 2013/14 Champions League group stage. Arsenal have won three of those games, with Napoli’s sole victory coming in December 2013.
Napoli vs Arsenal team news
Arsenal team news
Arsenal came through their Premier League win over Chelsea unscathed, but they are still missing a few players. This game is expected to be too soon for Cristhian Mosquera and Jurrien Timber, though both are nearing their returns.
Declan Rice overcome a knock to start against Chelsea, while Bruno Guimaraes was on the bench despite missing training in the buildup. Given this is the first Champions League game of the season, Mikel Arteta will want to go strong. So he may not make many changes to his starting XI.
Gabriel and Ezri Konsa will remain the centre-back duo with William Saliba a longer-term absentee. Ben White should continue at right-back, with Riccardo Calafiori on the left. Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly back been the dynamite midfield pairing so might not be split up.
But there could be a change in attack. Noni Madueke may start over Bukayo Saka, to give the latter a rest, and Eberechi Eez might get the nod over Christos Tzolis on the left. Martin Odegaard is expected to remain as the No.10, with Kai Havertz leading the line.
Napoli team news
Scott McTominay will miss this match, with the Scottish midfield set to undergo surgery to fix a minor heart issue. He was replaced in the midfield at the weekend by Antonio Vergara, who is likely to keep his place alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Kevin De Bruyne will have to make do with another substitute appearance in this case.
Massimiliano Allegri may opt to remain unchanged from the defeat to Inter Milan, having only made three changes to his starting lineup all season. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Rafa Marin, Amir Rrahmani and Leonardo Spinazzola are the settled back four. Alex Meret is Allegri’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Rasmus Hojlund will lead the line, flanked by Matteo Politano and Alisson Santos. Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci are long-term injury absentees and haven’t been included in Napoli’s squad, as a result.
Napoli vs Arsenal predicted lineups
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Marin, Rrahmani, Spinazzola; Vergara, Lobotka, Zambo Anguissa; Politano, Hojlund, Santos.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Gabriel, Konsa, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Madueke, Odegaard, Eze; Havertz.