Arsenal vs Napoli predicted starting XI: This is the moment

Wingbacks

There is a lot to talk about here, not in terms of team selection, but in terms of what we are going to be expecting out of them. Obviously the big thing needed on the day is defense, meaning that our back three may well look like a back five at times, and that is perfectly okay.

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That said, without their attacking thrust, they’d be half the players they normally are, so I’m still counting on Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles to provide a strong counterattacking element when a burst is needed because, as mentioned, we can’t just sit back and try to absorb the Napoli attack. There has to be a counterpunch whenever possible, and what better way to unleash it than with the speed and potency of these two?

On the plus side, Maitland-Niles has been unbelievable lately, with his attacking and defensive play alike, and it’s been Kolasinac waiting to break out of a minor slump.

Kolasinac just isn’t the kind of guy that stays mired in slumps for long. He works way too hard to struggle all that much, so what better time to break out then in a match against a top-caliber club away from home?

Onwards to the midfield.