Arsenal’s Champions League campaign gets underway tonight in Naples, with Mikel Arteta naming his side for what promises to be a huge European occasion at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Gunners arrive in Italy in excellent form after winning the Community Shield and taking maximum points from their opening three Premier League matches. But this evening represents a different challenge altogether as Arsenal begin another attempt to conquer Europe following the heartbreak of last season’s Champions League final defeat.
A huge night to begin a huge ten days
Napoli are the first of eight opponents Arsenal will face during the Champions League league phase, and there will be little opportunity for Arteta’s squad to catch its breath after tonight.
This is also the opening fixture of four consecutive away matches in just ten days across three competitions for the Gunners. Arsenal travel to Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday, then Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup next Tuesday, before heading to Brighton the following weekend.
That demanding schedule makes squad management important, but there can be no easing into Europe tonight. The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona remains one of the more intimidating venues on the continent, and Arsenal will want to put points on the board immediately.
Confirmed Arsenal team to face Napoli
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
Your official Champions League MD1 Gunners 👊
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 9, 2026
The first team sheet of Arsenal’s European campaign is in, and now the focus turns entirely to the pitch.
After going so close last season, every Champions League night will carry extra significance for this Arsenal side. A strong performance and result in Naples would be an excellent way to begin the journey.
What do you make of Arteta’s starting XI, Gooners? Has he picked the team you wanted to see tonight? Let us know in the comments.
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Ok not so many changes as had been suggested so I’m hopeful we can do this, but it won’t be as easy as some think. COYG.
Pretty much expected with the changes
Napoli have some injuries so should be an easy ride there ,0-3
I think arsenal will need to maintain their momentum whereby too much energy should be applied in order to avoid embarrassment from other big competitors in the group
Whose Gyokeres?
I thought he might freshen it up but then again, I didn’t. I would have played Madueke instead of Saka.
Thought Zubimendi would get a start, guess not. Bruno not up for 90 minutes, and don’t want to burn out MLS, so Rice it is.
Hopefully Rice will not have to play 60 games this year, we have the cover certainly. Time for Zubimendi to step up, we need him to find the form he started last year with.
If the game goes our way, I’d expect further changes down the line, like pulling out the likes of Saka and Rice for some deserved respite
Give us another good evening Gunners
Three points please 🙏
No team should be undermined in all honesty so with that said 1-5 – sorry but someone wearing a cannon icon is likely to see a hat trick this evening imo – Let’s [*Dare to dream] with my irrepressible gunners.
My reading of the midfield, is Rice 6 Merino left 8 Ode right 8, Eze inverted left forward. It plays Eze more in the 10 than Ode, and Hinky supplying left width, with Rice central 6 – just as he’s done goodness knows how many games in a row either side of season break.
BBC has it 4 2 3 1 with Odegaard as a 10 and Rice left midfield.
It’s not that I wish to say I’m right, it’s that I am looking to prove the British Broadcasting Corporation utterly wrong and clueless about Arsenal football.
If they can’t even get our formation right, why are we listening to them about anything they say about our club?
Timber went out with the squad but hasn’t made the bench. And we have two goalkeepers on the bench.
As for Gyokeres, if you want to start more games, you’re currency will be in goals. Score a few as if to say to Arteta now drop me.
Back in training one day, I think it’s still weeks Timber comes on off bench.
Moon Girl,
That being the case, why take Timber out there in the first place would be my question?.
Good question.
Strong first 11 and a strong bench.
Further additions in January would be the icing on the cake.
There should be no reason for player burnout this season.
Gyokeres to possibly score a brace tonight.
Well good to go gooners, 2- O to the Arsenal.
Does anyone else get really poor televised quality on TNT? I’m new to this service.
💤💤💤 too sloooooowww
I regard it as a strong performance from Arsenal.
Haven’t got the finishing boots on.
I think Saka has lost his mojo (again).. Our football has been way too casual at times. All very well controlling the game but we need the goals too.
Away in Europe against Italian side Champions year before last, and playing very low block and quick counter is never going to be easy.
For me you can literally feel the confidence and belief radiating off Ars at start of this season.
Don’t have coverage today, so relying on Guardian feed. Don’t think seen Gyokeres name mentioned once – he actually on the field?
He’s had an underwhelming half.
100 goals in 100 games, and even when not scoring last season, he was a physical handful. Just not the same player tonight.
We’re going to say the same thing a lot this season. Defense, midfield great, attack lacking.
So poor and against an awful Napoli team. Saka’s finishing is embarrassing, well all the finishing is embarrassing. Eze awful, Gyokores non existent, Merino rubbish. White, is just White, rhymes with🫢. We have to step it up after half time. Napoli are soooooo poor.
Are you sure Napoli are poor coz they have had many good shots on target.
Only because Arsenal giving the ball away. This Napoli team is terrible. They have loads of problems.
I agree Reggie, not even finding it difficult to break them down we are simply not finishing our chances. We face way better low blocks from relegation sides.
What game are you watching? 🤷♀️
What side of the bed did you get out of today? 🤷♀️
Merino is playing left 8 very well, very physical player.
I have seen something about Rice last weekend and tonight that is concerning. He is not as fit and mobile as he can be. If he disappears from team sheets for a while, don’t be surprised.
tough game. I’m very impressed with Konsa. Can’t believe we had a free run at him. We always find a way to win so I’m keeping calm.
I am impressed with Konsa too, today and last weekend.
To think some wanted a teenager with zero Prem starts to play instead of us buying Konsa
Obviously fine and dandy now first 11 player Konsa playing in place first 11 player Saliba. Does first 11 player Konsa go to bench when Saliba’s back. Konsa is not so right back in forcing Timber and White out of right back.
So I still believe not to have first 11 players as back up and rotation. Konsa rotting on bench is not going to be good, because how much Konsa do you get when he plays bit parts?
But when players great in their club move to different place different system, there can be acclimatising drop off – specially defenders. Not so with Konsa so far.
Moon Girl,
When fully fit, Timber will take some shifting from that right back spot. Clearly our best right back by a mile.
Absolutely.
Eze is gradually entering a competition with Gyokeres for the most useless players in our team
He’s making us excessively use only the right as he’s not staying wide
I understand a wide player drifting very often – that means he should be like an extra man attacking things that come into that middle but he’s not doing that either
Then when a gameplay eventually meets him on the left wing he practically just stands and passes to the nearest person
He’s not trying to create anything, not even dummying to take on his marker not even trying to make something happen when he’s the ball
He’s lazily annoying
“ He’s making us excessively use only the right as he’s not staying wide‘
He’s an inverted left forward like a false 10, deliberately to allow Hincape space to stretch them. If Eze keeps going wide he is failing the orders.
Wait! They have listened to you and switched it halftime. Hincape inverting and Eze to touchline.
Yes but he does nothing in the middle
When a wide player drifts to the middle he becomes a sort of second Striker who the opposition will struggle to have a marker on
He’s to be attacking whatever the only creating side (right) puts in
But he just goes there strolling about like he wants to do what Odegaard is already doing
He a useless extra man in the middle now – majorlybcos he’s not doing what an inverted midfielder should be doing
He’s doing the bearest minimum
I’m not going to make snap decisions about the qualities of our players based on one Italian defensive low block master class.
Moon Girl,
Low block masterclass, have you not seen the chances that have been missed. Take those rose tinted glasses off, there dimming you’re view.
One chance was missed, Hincape’s, and perhaps Merino’s header though it’s hardly a sitter – all that shooting from outside the box over bar or shots blocked that’s not chances, you counting every desperate effort on goal as chances? everything else half chances due to smothering defenders. Napoli played very well defensively. Arsenal escaped with a win thanks to deBruyner at the end.
Moon Girl,
You need to get you’re memory checked, Saka’s miss late in the first half, Madueke’s miss late in the second half.
You say blocked shots are not chances, then what are they. Tzolis had a chance and granted there were 3 or 4 players between him and the goal, but it was still a chance.
It’s funny though isn’t it, in the way we have started this season, where there can be so much to praise – so many comments are negative, almost like moaning about performance and dissing players is so much more enjoyable and motivating than showing love and appreciation for the hard work.
Do will think Vergara will stiffen Napoli up?
When all is said and done, we’re still a bit toothless in attack. We needed a top class striker this season if we’re serious CL contenders..
This game is such a massive bore to watch!
Napoli diligently parking the bus, and Arsenal doing very little to break the block with their slow, laborious play
Odegaard is on a mission this season. What a revival
Oooodeeegaaard!!!
Now let’s see Napoli come out to play football
Another assist from Tzolis?
Another Tzolis assist. Another Odegaard man of the match.
Best performance from Odegaard of the season imo
Did the plane ever leave London?
Good 3 points but some of the finishing, except the one Odegaard goal being the one exception. 1-0 was the absolute least, Arsenal could have got. Wow Napoli were/are so poor. Hojland, failed utd striker, Billy Gilmour, failed Chelsea wonder kid, De Bryne geriatric has been and I think Allegri will be out of a job inside a month. But WE move on to Sunderland. We should have made it easier but all in for shooting practice tomorrow.
KDB seems totally fried.
Yeah Bergkampfwagen, I have to admit to being a little saddened to see KDB only a shadow of his former self.
“ Wow Napoli were/are so poor.‘“
I would say they played the low block, counter attack very well today.
I give them credit because there’s low blocks and then there’s low blocks, the Napoli low block gave not a centimeter of space, and no mistakes either to gift us anything.
And right at the end, after low blocking so well for so long, they got de Buyner clear in on goal for the 1.1 they played for and put so much effort in to get.
Awful team!!!!! Probably their fans think the same, hence the half empty stadium.
And the term low block, Napoli insulted the term low block. There was no block.
Moon Girl,
What Napoli side are you watching, on reading you’re posts you seem only to willing to make excuses regards Arsenal’s atrocious finishing with statements like, low block masterclass.
If this was a low block masterclass, Arsenal wouldn’t be having so many attempts on goal. Wasted though they are.
I can not believe that someone would mention masterclass and low block, in the same sentence for last night Derek. We had an XG of over 4, I think even that is being kind. Anyone who knows anything about football could see how poor Napoli were/are.
Napoli played the cat and mouse beautifully, disciplin to be under pressure in your box and not give anything away, and nearly got the draw their efforts deserved for all their hard work.
Remember Arsenal have a great defensive record, but it’s not based on defending – Arsenal could not have been under the cosh like Napoli were for so long without giving something away through a mistake.
What clear chances did we miss? Hincapes and perhaps Merino’s. What other ones did you see?
You can’t count every desperate shot outside the box blocked or over the bar as a chance.
And Noni clean through, was a missed chance, but game not in low block by then.
Moon Girl,
Not in a low block then. Well that makes his miss even worse.
It never was in a low block, that’s a fantasy 😂😂 The only thing that was low was the Napoli quality!!!! I really do not know what you was watching because it definitely wasn’t the Napoli v Arsenal game🤣🤣 Napoli were dire in every aspect. We were dire at finishing.
That’s for sure Reggie. Almost the whole team looked off it, even Raya spilled one. Like you said though, 3 points in the bag and that’s what ultimately counts. On to the stadium of light.
We do👍
1-0 to the Arsenal!
And Ødegaard scores again.
Not the game we were all hoping for, but a pretty typical European performance. The difference with Tzolis, Bruno, Havertz was palpable. Hincapie and Konsa also earning their pay packet. Gyokeres needs more game time to get up to speed, but not making much of a case for himself unfortunately…
Let’s hope we can get more accurate on the weekend.
But the Napoli low block didn’t make it easy for Gyokeres type of game.
You can see why Gyokeres want to leave, he can score so much more goals when not facing low blocks like so often we do.
You can see why Gyokeres want to stay, playing his part in winning big things and picking up career medals.
All true. Which further weakens his case, given how many teams will be forced to park the bus against us in Europe as well as in the Prem. They kind of have to, since our midfield and defense is so good.
Arteta has suggested he will respond to this by bringing in more chaos-makers in the future, rather than classic positional players. Obvs Tzolis was bought with that in mind, but also the key attacking targets this last window would fit that profile too…
Excellent result against an Italian ultra defensive type team.
Odegaard was outstanding in every aspect of the game.
The squad is solid and we are still waiting to see what Bruno, Saliba and Timber will improve on.
Not a game to judge Gyokeres on and I hope he gets the opportunity to start at Sunderland and the same goes for Eze out on the wing.
My only negative was at the end of the game when I watched our players leaving the pitch – they looked shattered!!
It was 29 degrees at kick off. Add travelling to dat you can see why Bob Shanklin, famous Liverpool manager wey before my time oft said, a Prem draw good result after long European week.
White in particular could start from bench, let Zooby and Bruno play together at mackem.
When people say some undroppable like Ode is now, they have to be dropped or they break? Ode can be replaced by Kai playing support striker to Gyokeres 9, it’s only a small tweak, that’s Eze Gyok Kai Saka front line with Bruno and Zooby holding midfield behind them.
That would be interesting at a side we could only draw last season? Or just too much handbrake off?
Bill Shankly.
Interesting one, Ken. Personally I don’t believe Timber and Saliba are going to improve the team one iota. Does the defense need improving. Will Timber add more width to the attack? No way. I think we should sell at least one of those two, if not both and trade them in or use the cash for more attack minded players. We are short of attacking options and our manager doesn’t seem in a hurry to blood Dowman or introduce any other young attackers.
Wait! Timber is not better than White? Now we have Konsa, sell Saliba?
I think he’s been sarcastic 🤣🤣