Mikel Arteta's side begin another Champions League campaign in Naples after three straight Premier League wins, with defensive fitness issues still to monitor.
Arsenal are back in the Champions League on Wednesday night, just over three months after going all the way to the final.
Napoli provide the first test for this season’s European run at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with Mikel Arteta's side travelling to Italy having made a perfect start to their Premier League title defence.
Coventry City and Aston Villa were both seen off without Arsenal conceding a goal. Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea, though, was a different story. Morgan Rogers stunned the Gunners with a goal inside 77 seconds, but Arsenal held firm with Kai Havertz levelling things up and Martin Odegaard finding the winner early in the second half.
For Arsenal, it’s been a short turnaround for the trip to Napoli, a side who have had a less comfortable start to their domestic campaign. Massimiliano Allegri's side started with a 2-0 win at Genoa before losing 2-1 at home to Como, and Saturday's trip to Inter produced an even more painful result. Napoli were 2-0 ahead shortly after half-time through Matteo Politano and Rasmus Hojlund, only to lose 3-2 after Lautaro Martinez scored in stoppage time, making it back-to-back defeats ahead of the Gunners' arrival.
Arsenal Team News
William Saliba is still sidelined, meaning Arteta faces another decision at the heart of his defence.
Cristhian Mosquera sat out the Chelsea game after picking up a muscular issue at Aston Villa. Arteta played down the severity afterwards, but was not seen during the Gunners' open training session on Tuesday.
Ezri Konsa stepped in against Chelsea, giving a comfortable performance against a side which had been scoring for fun in the league.
Jurrien Timber continues to edge closer to a return. He has been back training with the squad ahead of the Napoli fixutre after undergoing minor surgery during the summer and was considered for Chelsea, although Arteta ultimately left him out of the matchday squad.
Bruno Guimaraes is another option for Arteta in midfield. He made it back to the bench against Chelsea after picking up a knock at Villa Park, but didn’t get on the pitch whilst also training on Tuesday. Zubimendi instead replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly in the second half. With the Gunners back in Premier League action on Saturday night, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Zubimendi take a starting position given the options Arteta has available to him for rotation.
Meanwhile further forwards, Havertz has led the line in all three league games so far and got himself on the scoresheet against both Chelsea and Coventry. Viktor Gyokeres is still waiting for another chance, while Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are among those yet to nail down a starting spot under Arteta this season.
What to Expect From Napoli
Massimiliano Allegri has Napoli playing mainly from a 4-3-3, although the shape can change considerably once they lose the ball.
Against Como, Matteo Politano dropped alongside the midfield at times, and Napoli defended more like a 5-4-1, with Allegri looking for a compact shape rather than asking his side to press high throughout the game. Both wide players looked to hold their width when Napoli had possession, with Rasmus Hojlund giving them a much more direct option through the middle.
Hojlund has already scored against both Como and Inter. Arsenal's centre-backs will have to deal with his willingness to run in behind as well as his physical presence when Napoli decide to go longer. A task which Gabriel and Konsa will likely be up for.
Politano offers something different from the right. He works back more than a conventional winger and gives Allegri some protection on that side, but he will also come inside when Napoli break. That was how they hurt Inter after half-time on Saturday, with Napoli taking advantage of mistakes and getting forward quickly rather than having to dominate possession. They still created two good counter-attacking opportunities after Inter began their comeback.
Kevin De Bruyne is the more difficult player to place.
Allegri has started him on the bench in each of Napoli's last two matches and brought him on when they needed more control with the ball. He gives Napoli somebody capable of finding Hojlund early or playing through Arsenal's midfield, although he managed only 15 touches after coming on against Inter.
Allegri has already said his side needs to understand the different phases of a match better. They equalised against Como and conceded again four minutes later, then went 2-0 ahead at Inter before losing 3-2. Showing they gave the opposition unnecessary chances whilst they should have been shutting the game down.
That could make the opening spell important for Arsenal. Napoli have enough pace and quality to punish mistakes, particularly if Arteta's side leave space when pushing players forward, but they have not looked especially comfortable when opponents have been able to change the tempo and keep pressure on them.
How to Watch Napoli vs Arsenal
Napoli host Arsenal on Wednesday, September 9. Kick-off is at 8pm BST at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
In the UK, the game will be shown live on TNT Sports 2 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with streaming available through HBO Max. Coverage begins at 7pm.
In the United States, Champions League coverage is available through Paramount+.
Prediction
Napoli have shown they have enough attacking quality to cause problems. It’s unlikely, though, that they have come up against a defence as well structured as Arsenal's. Naples is a tough place to go, so it won’t be plain sailing for the Gunners.
Napoli still have a fragility about them. Como found opportunities against Napoli's defence and Inter eventually overwhelmed them after falling two goals behind. Arsenal meanwhile arrive with three wins from three and have already shown against Chelsea that conceding first doesn't have to take them out of their game.
Arteta may make a couple of changes with Sunderland coming at the weekend, but there should still be enough quality in the side to take advantage if Napoli give up the same spaces they have in their last two matches.
Prediction: Napoli 1-2 Arsenal