Mikel Arteta will ring in the changes and rotate the Arsenal starting lineup when they take on Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday.
Arsenal will aim to continue the perfect start to the 2026/27 season and kick off the UEFA Champions League campaign on a high when they lock horns with Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday night. Mikel Arteta has no new injury concerns to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
William Saliba is the only notable absentee, with the French international continuing to recover from a long-term back injury. Meanwhile, Arteta has been sweating over Cristhian Mosquera’s fitness after he missed out against Chelsea due to a muscular issue.
However, the Spanish defender should be fit and available to take on Napoli, with Jurrien Timber also in contention to take on the Serie A giants. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta did not provide any team news update but discussed his team’s excitement to go all the way in the UEFA Champions League.
The Arsenal manager said, “I’m really excited. We know what this competition means to all of us, the experience of last year as well, so we need to start with the first game in a really, really tough place, but really excited to start the campaign.”
“Start well tomorrow; that’s the only thing we can do. Start by putting in a big performance tomorrow to increase the probability of winning the game. The consistency in the performances that we put in and the fact that we have been really dominant even when we play at home. With our identity, with what we want to achieve in games, believing and being convinced that we can do it.”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Napoli on Wednesday. The backline should feature Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Cristhian Mosquera, and Piero Hincapie, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori getting some rest.
As for the midfield unit, Martin Zubimendi should receive his first starting opportunity, with Bruno Guimaraes lining up alongside him in the double pivot. Mikel Merino will reprise the no. 10 role, with Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke being the two wide attackers. Finally, Viktor Gyokeres will spearhead the attack, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard being backup options on the bench.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Konsa, Mosquera, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Bruno Guimaraes; Madueke, Merino, Eze; Gyokeres