UEFA Champions League Preview: Napoli vs Arsenal – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona forms the backdrop for a heavyweight UEFA Champions League showdown between Napoli and Arsenal. Wednesday’s clash in southern Italy could prove a turning point for new Partenopei head coach Massimiliano Allegri amid Napoli’s dreadful Serie A start.

Following a controversial 2-0 win at Genoa on the opening Serie A weekend, Napoli have suffered back-to-back losses to Como and Inter. The latter defeat was particularly disturbing, considering Allegri’s side boasted a two-goal lead after 55 minutes, only for the Nerazzurri to turn the game on its head and win 3-2.

It was far from a perfect way to prepare for Arsenal’s visit, heightening the pressure on Allegri ahead of Napoli’s curtain-raising European fixture. In stark contrast to their hosts, the Gunners have got their season off to a flying start, winning the Community Shield trophy and all three Premier League matches.

Mikel Arteta’s men demonstrated their well-documented fighting spirit once again last weekend, overturning an early deficit to beat bitter rivals Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. In doing so, they’ve set themselves up perfectly for this trip, as they’re now looking to erase the memory of a heartbreaking defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League final.

Match Preview

Napoli

Napoli’s previous European campaign was a disaster, as they finished 30th in last season’s league phase, losing four of their eight matches in the opening stage of the competition (W2, D2). In fact, the four-time Italian champions have won just two of their last ten outings in the Champions League proper (D2, L5). Though that paints a pretty bleak picture for the home side, there’s still a silver lining.

The raucous atmosphere at the Maradona Stadium has helped Napoli avoid defeat in 19 of their last 21 Champions League games here (W12, D7). However, after a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea in their most recent such fixture, last season’s Serie A runners-up are staring down the barrel of consecutive home losses at Europe’s top table for the first time in the club’s history.

Allegri would be forgiven for expecting Napoli to halt that worrying slide here, given that his men have found the net in 23 of their last 24 Champions League matches on home soil. However, that might still prove easier said than done, with the Partenopei losing ‘to nil’ in three of their last four meetings with Arsenal (W1), including a 1-0 defeat here in the return leg of their 2018/19 Europa League quarter-final tie.

Arsenal

Despite their formidable run against Napoli, Arsenal’s recent record against Italian opposition makes for far less encouraging reading. Indeed, they’ve emerged victorious from just one of their last six away clashes against Serie A opposition (D1, L4), failing to get on the scoresheet in all five winless encounters. Yet, the Gunners have every reason to believe this is the time to stop that worrying trend.

Arteta’s charges reached last season’s Champions League final without a single defeat (W11, D3). Furthermore, Arsenal enjoyed a flawless league-phase campaign, winning all eight games by an aggregate score of 23-4, including a dominant 3-1 victory against Inter at Giuseppe Meazza. It was a rare instance of the Gunners conceding a goal.

They conceded fewer goals (7) and kept more clean sheets (9) than any other side in last season’s Champions League. Another stubborn defensive display is on the cards here, even though Chelsea became the first team to score against Arsenal this season on Saturday, ending their run of three consecutive shutouts in all competitions.

Team News

Scott McTominay’s heart surgery went well, yet Allegri won’t have the Scottish midfielder at his disposal for the foreseeable future. In addition to long-term absentees Alessandro Buongiorno and Giovane, Napoli will also be without Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who suffered a muscle injury in the final moments of their clash against Inter, with Billy Gilmour expected to take his place in the starting XI.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have made the trip without William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera, meaning Ezri Konsa is likely to partner Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of their four-man defense. Arteta will probably stick with his regular attacking options, with Kai Havertz leading the line and Bukayo Saka and Christos Tzolis on the wings.

Napoli vs Arsenal Starting Lineups

Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rafa Marin, Rrahmani, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, Lobotka, Gilmour; Politano, Hojlund, Santos.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Tzolis; Havertz.

Napoli vs Arsenal Prediction

Erratic defensive moments against Como and Inter spell trouble for Napoli as they’re about to face a clinical Arsenal side. Falling behind would probably mark the end of the Italian team’s hopes of getting their Champions League campaign off to a winning start, especially given the Gunners’ stellar defensive exploits.

Unfortunately for Allegri, the reigning Premier League champions are in far better shape.