Following a commanding victory over Chelsea in the Premier League, Arsenal hit the road for a series of away days beginning with a midweek trip to Italy to face Napoli as the Champions League campaign begins on Wednesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side came to within two kicks of a CL title when they lost to Paris St. Germain in penalties during last season’s final in Budapest. It was a tale of two sides, as the Gunners limped in following an exhausting league campaign while PSG entered with markedly fresher
legs following another largely uncontested domestic title.
The frustration of that loss won’t easily be forgotten, but the result serves as a massive marker for the club. Since earning CL football for the first time in Arteta’s tenure following the 2022/23 season, the Gunners have finished one step above their finishing place the prior season, having made it to the quarterfinals in 23/24, the semifinals in 24/25, and the finals last season.
There is only one progression left, and one that Arsenal have found to be the most elusive. Winning the Champions League is the last mountain to be conquered for the club, and a feat that can propel them from being simply great to a new echelon of the elite.
The journey begins again on Wednesday, when the league phase begins for the third year running. In the new, modern format, every club faces eight competitors with two drawn from each of four different pots, with each pot stratified by levels of success according to UEFA’s coefficient. The most successful clubs and league champions are in Pot 1 with qualifying teams placed all the way down to Pot 4, where the newest entrants to the competition typically start.
Finishing in the top eight of the league phase means a first round knockout bye. After securing a bye the last two seasons (and finishing first outright last season), the Gunners will no doubt view that as the expectation. Eight matches may seem like a lot, but the margin for error is narrow. Getting off to a good start will be the aim, but it won’t come easy as Arsenal once again start their journey on the road.
Arsenal’s Champions League league phase schedule:
- Arsenal at Napoli, Wednesday, September 9th
- Arsenal vs Lille, Tuesday, October 13th
- Arsenal at Bayern Munich, Wednesday, October 21st
- Arsenal at Slavia Prague, Wednesday, November 4th
- Arsenal vs Borussia Dortmund, Tuesday, November 24th
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid, Wednesday, December 9th
- Arsenal at Real Betis, Wednesday, January 20th
- Arsenal vs Sabah FK, Wednesday, January 27th
Know the Enemy
Serie A record: 1-0-2 (13th)
Napoli welcome the Gunners for the first visit by the Premier League champions in over seven years as both clubs look to start their Champions League campaign on the right foot.
The clubs enter in disparate, but misleading, form. Arsenal have begun their season with three wins in the Premier League and look ready to make another deep run in the Champions League once again. Napoli, on the other hand, have stumbled out of the gate with two losses from their opening three domestic matches.
In all fairness, their losses have come against Inter Milan (3rd) and Como (2nd), and they’ve navigated a few injuries to key players in that time. Napoli are a far better side than their 13th place in the Serie A table would have you believe, but one in transition with a new manager.
They are only two years removed from winning the league in 24/25, which was their second domestic title in the past five years. They also won the Supercoppa Italiana last season, which is the Serie A equivalent of the Community Shield. Their experience is unquestioned in Italy, but domestic success doesn’t always pan out in Europe’s top cup competition.
Last season’s Champions League campaign was a disaster for Gli Azzurri. Two wins from their league phase campaign saw them bounced from the competition in January. Like Arsenal, Champions League success has historically eluded them, and though they are not favorites to win it, they have enough ability to make it to the knockouts.
Their roster is talented, but they are in need of a striker to step up. Two seasons ago, Victor Osimhen left for Turkey, and this summer, they lost Romelu Lukaku to Turkey as well. The signing of Rasmus from Manchester United isn’t quite the signing to turn heads in the attack, but he enters a largely established side that includes former Manchester United teammate Scott McTominay and former Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne.
The big question mark as the season rolls on is around manager Massimiliano Allegri, who took over after Antonio Conte left the club at the end of the 2025/26 season. The Italian manager is a decorated veteran of Serie A, but has not guided a club to a title since the 2018/19 season with Juventus. Can he follow up Conte’s successes and keep the club back on an upward trajectory?
Arsenal all-time record vs Napoli: 3-0-1
Incomings: Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United), Alisson Santos (Sporting), Vanja Milinković-Savić (Torino), Benoît Badiashile (on loan from Chelsea), Costantino Favasuli (Catanzaro), Mattia Esposito (Sorrento), Dinis Rodrigues (FC Sion)
Departures: Miguel Gutiérrez (Leverkusen), Giovanni Simeone (Torino), Romelu Lukaku (Fenerbahçe), Alessandro Zanoli (Udinese), Luis Hasa (Frosinone), Walid Cheddira (Avellino), Alessio Zerbi (Frosinone)
Injuries: Alessandro Buongiorno (knee), Luca Marianucci (ligament), Scott McTominay (arrhythmia), Giovani (hernia)
WHO: Arsenal at Napoli
WHAT: Champions League league phase match day 1
WHEN: Wednesday, September 9th, 3:00pm EST/12:00pm PST/8:00pm GMT
WHERE: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on the Paramount+ and Prime Video apps.
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