Arsenal commences their UEFA Champions League campaign for 2026-27 with a midweek clash at Napoli. Mikel Arteta led his men to the very final edge of glory last term, taking eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain to a penalty shootout in the title match.
Can they get over that final hurdle and reach the promised land, this time around?
Champions League FYIs
Arsenal at Napoli
Kickoff: Wed. Sept. 9th, 8pm
Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Predicted XI
Result Probability, According to Google: Arsenal win 54% Draw 25% Napoli win 21%
If so, it would mark the first time in club history. That’s a long way off, but every massive journey begins with that very first step, and that comes on Wednesday night.
This week marks the first true period of real fixture congestion, of the 2026-27 season, so that means we could see Arteta do some squad rotation.
Or at least a little bit or rotating, and with that in mind, we constructed a lineup that drops Kai Havertz, Riccardo Calafiori, Buyako Saka and Christos Tzolis.
All could still feature in Naples, but we’re guessing it’ll be off the bench.
Arsenal Predicted XI at Naples
David Raya; Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie; Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke; Viktor Gyokeres
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.