Alex MacQuoid
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Napoli and Arsenal are set to meet on 9 September 2026 at 19:00 UTC at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the opening round of the Champions League. This is the first group-stage fixture for both clubs, meaning each side will be eager to get off to a winning start in European competition. Napoli head into the tie having to cope with a notably long injury list, which will test the depth of their squad from the very first matchday. For Arsenal, a clean bill of health means their head coach is expected to have a full complement of options to select from when naming the starting eleven.
Napoli Predicted Lineup (Formation not confirmed)
Napoli will be without a number of key players for this fixture. Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci, Scott McTominay, Giovane Nascimento, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurriën Timber, and William Saliba are all ruled out, placing significant strain on the available squad across multiple positions. The manager will likely need to shuffle personnel in defence and midfield to compensate, with the players who do come into the side expected to carry heavier responsibility than usual.
| Jersey # | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Meret |
| 22 | Giovanni Di Lorenzo |
| 13 | Amir Rrahmani |
| 16 | Rafa Marín |
| 37 | Leonardo Spinazzola |
| 99 | Frank Anguissa |
| 68 | Stanislav Lobotka |
| 26 | Antonio Vergara |
| 21 | Matteo Politano |
| 19 | Rasmus Højlund |
| 27 | Alisson Santos |
- Will not play: Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci, Scott McTominay, Giovane Nascimento, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurriën Timber, William Saliba
- Questionable: None reported.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup (Formation not confirmed)
Arsenal arrive at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with no reported injuries or doubts ahead of this opening Champions League fixture, giving the head coach a fully fit group to choose from. With everyone available for selection, Arsenal should be able to name their strongest possible starting eleven for this trip to Naples.
| Jersey # | Player |
|---|---|
| 29 | Kai Havertz |
| 17 | Christos Tzolis |
| 8 | Martin Ødegaard |
| 7 | Bukayo Saka |
| 49 | Myles Lewis-Skelly |
| 41 | Declan Rice |
| 33 | Riccardo Calafiori |
| 6 | Gabriel |
| 15 | Ezri Konsa |
| 4 | Ben White |
| 1 | David Raya |
- Will not play: None reported.
- Questionable: None reported.