**Napoli head into Wednesday’s Champions League opener against Arsenal on the back of consecutive Serie A defeats, with Massimiliano Allegri’s side surrendering a two-goal lead in their latest setback.**
Mikel Arteta takes the Premier League champions to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona looking to begin another European campaign with a statement result.
Arsenal arrive after winning each of their first three Premier League fixtures. Napoli’s domestic momentum looks considerably less convincing.
Napoli have played three Serie A matches this season:
* **Napoli 2-0 Genoa**
* **Napoli 1-2 Como**
* **Inter Milan 3-2 Napoli**
That leaves Allegri’s side with **three points from a possible nine**, four goals scored and five conceded.
Their opening victory over Genoa looked encouraging, with Kevin De Bruyne among the scorers.
What has followed should interest Arsenal considerably.
Napoli suffered their first defeat at home to Como.
Rasmus Højlund cancelled out Martin Baturina’s opener, but a defensive mistake allowed Tasos Douvikas to restore Como’s advantage in a **2-1 victory**.
Even after Allegri made several changes, Napoli were unable to rescue the result.
That alone would have provided Arsenal with areas to investigate.
Saturday’s defeat at Inter was considerably more alarming.
Napoli could hardly have started better at San Siro.
Matteo Politano opened the scoring before Højlund doubled the advantage, leaving Allegri’s side **2-0 ahead against Inter**.
They still lost.
Inter fought back through Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram before Martínez struck again in the **91st minute** to complete a 3-2 comeback.
For Arsenal, it offers an obvious lesson.
Napoli have demonstrated that they can hurt strong opponents, particularly through Højlund, but they have also struggled to maintain control when matches begin to turn against them.
That could suit an Arsenal side which showed precisely the opposite quality against Chelsea on Sunday.
Arteta’s team fell behind after only 77 seconds at the Emirates Stadium but remained composed, eventually recovering through Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard to win 2-1.
Our [Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea match report](https://readarsenal.com/2026/09/06/arsenal-vs-chelsea-match-report-premier-league/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) details how the champions gradually took control after that early setback.
Napoli have just shown how dangerous losing control can become.
The most interesting aspect of Napoli’s recent defeats is not merely the results.
It is their difficulty controlling changing game states.
Against Como, Napoli recovered from falling behind but conceded again.
Against Inter, they built what should have been a commanding advantage before allowing the match to swing completely away from them.
Arsenal have become increasingly effective at sustaining pressure when opponents begin to drop deeper.
Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz all played important roles in forcing Chelsea backwards on Sunday, while Arteta has significant attacking depth available from the bench.
That could become particularly relevant in Naples.
Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze were substitutes against Chelsea, while Martin Zubimendi, Bruno Guimarães and Noni Madueke provide further ways to alter the structure of a match.
Napoli’s inability to close out a two-goal advantage against Inter suggests Arsenal cannot afford to become discouraged if Wednesday begins awkwardly.
Recent European history provides another encouraging statistic.
UEFA notes Napoli have lost their last **three Champions League matches against English opposition**, including defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea last season.
Arsenal also have an excellent direct record against Napoli, winning three of their four previous competitive meetings.
Our [Napoli vs Arsenal head-to-head guide](https://readarsenal.com/2026/09/07/napoli-vs-arsenal-head-to-head-record-champions-league/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) looks at each of those previous encounters.
None of this makes Wednesday straightforward.
Napoli still possess De Bruyne, Højlund and enough individual quality to punish Arsenal if Arteta’s side lose concentration.
But the form line is clear.
Arsenal arrive in Italy having repeatedly found ways to win.
Napoli arrive having twice found ways to lose.
That contrast gives Arteta’s side a genuine opportunity to begin their Champions League campaign with three points.