Arsenal Make Four Changes for Champions League Opener at Napoli
Arsenal begin their 2025-26 Champions League campaign at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona against a Napoli side searching for form, with Mikel Arteta rotating his squad following Sunday’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Chelsea.
Team News: Gyökeres Handed First Start as Arteta Rotates
The Gunners make four changes to their starting XI. Viktor Gyökeres earns his first start of the season, while Piero Hincapié, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino also come into the side. Kai Havertz, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christos Tzolis and Riccardo Calafiori drop to the bench.
Napoli’s lineup features several faces familiar to Premier League followers. Billy Gilmour, formerly of Chelsea, Norwich and Brighton, lines up alongside Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne and ex-Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund. Scott McTominay, another Old Trafford alumnus, is unavailable until next month following surgery for an irregular heartbeat.
Confirmed Lineups
Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Olivera; Gilmour, Lobotka, De Bruyne; Politano, Højlund, Alisson Santos.
Substitutes: Contini, Milinkovic-Savic, Favasuli, Badiashile, Neres, Lucca, Vergara, Beukema, Spinazzola.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapié; Merino, Rice, Saka; Ødegaard, Eze, Gyökeres.
Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Meslier, Tzolis, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Salmon.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden). Kick-off is 8pm BST (9pm local).
Arteta: “We Are Ready to Be Ourselves and Win the Game”
Speaking to TNT Sports before kick-off, Mikel Arteta addressed the team’s travel disruption, his selection decisions and the challenge awaiting his side in Naples.
“We were lucky [regarding the flight over] … I am sure it was much worse for many tourists … [Hincapié, Eze, Gyökeres and Merino] deserve to play … they train really well … every time they have been on the pitch as finishers they have made an impact … they fully deserve to start the game … I could not wait to start playing in the Champions League again … after the last days we had in Budapest, to lift ourselves up and go again … start the journey again … [Napoli] have a lot of experience and quality … a coach with massive experience in the competition … we are ready … to be ourselves and win the game.”
Fan Reaction: Squad Rotation Questions Raised
The pre-match correspondence highlighted debate over Arsenal’s squad management. Zach Neeley questioned the decision to rest Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice:
“Why have such a stacked squad if you can’t make Saka and Rice the ones rested? The fact that it’s early in the season doesn’t really work because their summer was a bunch of extra work.”
Dr Jordan Pickering offered a lighter take on the unused Kai Havertz:
“Although Kai won’t feature among the starters, your chosen pic does offer plenty of food for thought, prompting one to wonder how much expert consideration has gone into crafting all the various hair zones on his head, or how it is that someone with a bag can have so many loose items on his person?”
Contrasting Form Sets Up Intriguing Contest
Arsenal arrive in southern Italy with supreme confidence. The Gunners’ 2024-25 European campaign ended in penalty shootout heartbreak against Paris Saint-Germain, but the underlying numbers were formidable: a 100% record in the league phase, unbeaten in regular time across 15 matches (W11 D4), and the competition’s best defensive record with just seven goals conceded and nine clean sheets.
Domestically, Arteta’s side have opened the new Premier League season thrillingly, suggesting a team that has shed the psychological weight of near-misses.
Napoli present a stark contrast. Gli Azzurri have won only two of their last ten Champions League matches and failed to progress beyond the league phase last season. They have lost their last three European fixtures against English opposition and three of four previous meetings with Arsenal. Their Serie A campaign has begun miserably — a home defeat to Como followed by surrendering a two-goal lead against Inter Milan.
History Adds Personal Edge for Arteta
The Arsenal manager has personal experience of defeat in Naples. As a player, Arteta was sent off during a previous visit to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona — a memory that ensures he will take nothing for granted despite the form disparity.
With both sides seeking an opening statement in Europe’s elite competition, the stage is set for a compelling Group Stage curtain-raiser under the Neapolitan lights.
