City name unchanged side for Champions League opener with Napoli | OneFootball

Manchester City have named an unchanged side for Thursday’s opening 2025/26 UEFA Champions League clash at home to Napoli.

Manager Pep Guardiola has opted to again go with the eleven players that began last Sunday’s hugely impressive 3-0 derby win against Manchester United for our first League Phase clash against the Italian champions.

There’s a mixture of experience and youth on the City bench with Academy youngsters Divine Mukasa and Stephen Mfuni again named amongst the substitutes alongside the likes of Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes and Nico Gonazalez.

Teams

CITY XI: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Rodrigo, Bernardo (C), Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Haaland

Subs: Trafford, Bettenelli, Ake, Nico, Savinho, Nunes, Bobb, Mukasa, Lewis, Mfuni.

NAPOLI: Milinkovic-Savic, Di Lorenzo (C), Beukema, Buongiorno, Spinazzola, Lobotka, Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay, Hojlund.

Subs: Meret, Ferrante, Gutierrez, Juan Jesus, Gilmour, Neres, Olivera, Elmas, Vergara, Lucca, Lang, Ambrosino

How we might line up

Recent signing Gianluigi Donnarumma again gets the nod in goal after what was a superb debut against United at the weekend.

He will be shielded by a back four of Abdukodir Khuasanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol  and Nico O’Reilly.Rodri will be the familiar midfield anchor with Tijjani Reijnders and skipper Bernardo Silva also in the engine room.

Erling Haaland will again be the focal point for City’s strike force with Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku also set to be deployed further forward.

However, such is the tactical flexibility and fluidity in Pep’s squad that formation and set up could well change as the evening wears on!

King Kev’s return

Just four months after bidding an emotional farewell to the Etihad, the vagaries of the fixture schedule have thrown up a return for Club legend Kevin De Bruyne.

The brilliant Belgian playmaker made the move from Manchester to Naples in the summer after clocking up what was a quite magnificent decade of service for City.

One of the finest players ever to represent the Club, over the course of a stellar 10-year period KDB went on to help City win 19 major trophies.

He has made a fine start to life in Italy, weighing in with two goals from Napoli’s first three Serie A games with Antonio Conte’s side – the reigning Italian champions – sitting top with three wins out of the three.

WATCH: How Kevin De Bruyne became a Manchester City legend

In his pre-match press conference, City boss Pep Guardiola made a point of stressing how much he was looking forward to seeing De Bruyne tonight.

And regardless of tonight's result, one thing is for sure. The Etihad will afford one its favourite-ever sons the most rapturous of welcomes.

50 up for Erling?

It’s no exaggeration to say that Erling Haaland has started the new season in ravenous form, having already amassed 11 goals to date for both Club and country.

And the brilliant Norwegian, who has racked up a blizzard of outstanding records and achievements in the three and bit years since he joined City from Borussia Dortmund, now stands on the brink of another notable landmark.

The 25-year-old needs just one more goal to take his overall tally of Champions League strikes to 50 – and so become the quickest player ever to chalk up a half century.

To date, Erling has amassed 49 goals in 48 Champions League appearances during his time with Red Bull Salzburg (8), Borussia Dortmund (15) and more latterly City (27).

If he finds the target tonight, he would become the tenth player to reach 50 goals with Ruud van Nistelrooy currently the fastest to reach the half century from 62 matches.

WATCH: Donnarumma says mum torn over Champions League opener!

Stats and facts

The previous four matches between these teams were in the group stage. In 2011/12 a 1-1 draw at the Etihad was followed by a 2-1 home win for Napoli. City won both fixtures in 2017/18, 2-1 at home and 4-2 away.

City have lost only one of their previous nine home matches against Italian visitors (W4 D4).

Pep Guardiola's side are hosting an Italian team on Matchday 1 for the second season in succession, having drawn 0-0 against Inter in 2024/25.

Napoli are without a win in their ten away matches against English teams (D3 L7).

This is City's 15th successive season in the Champions League proper; they have featured in every campaign since 2011/12 and have reached the knockout stages in each of the last 12.

Having finished 22nd in last season's league phase, City lost to holders Real Madrid in the knockout phase play-offs (2-3 h, 1-3 a).

City have won five and drawn one of their last six Matchday 1 fixtures, since a 1-2 defeat by Lyon in 2018/19.

This is Napoli's ninth campaign in the Champions League proper; their best performance came in 2022/23, when they reached the quarter-finals.

The Naples club were not involved in UEFA competition in 2024/25 – the first time they had missed out since 2009/10.

Napoli have won their Matchday 1 fixture in their last three Champions League campaigns and have lost only one of the eight opening fixtures in the competition (W5 D2).City are unbeaten in 21 home group stage/league games (W18 D3), since that 2018 loss to Lyon, scoring three or more goals in 13 of the last 16.

Napoli have lost only three of their last 18 Champions League group stage/league phase games (W11 D4).

The Partenopei have scored in 15 of their last 16 group stage/league phase matches in the competition.