Napoli vs Arsenal: 3 key battles as Champions League campaign kicks off

Arsenal's pursuit of a first ever Champions League title re-commences on Wednesday night when Mikel Arteta's men travel to Southern Italy to take on Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

The Gunners so nearly ended their European hoodoo last season but were cruelly beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest in May. They'll be aiming to go one better this term, although Arteta and his players may need to be prepared for a slightly more bumpy ride this time around.

Last season, everything was plain sailing for the North Londoners in the league phase, winning all eight of their matches at this stage of the competition. This term, an extremely difficult set of fixtures means a perfect league phase is unlikely.

Games against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are to come, while one of Serie A's finest outfits are first up. Napoli have endured a difficult start to the new season, but Massimiliano Allegri's side have quality across the pitch and certainly have the capacity to cause Arsenal problems.

With that said, here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in dictating the outcome of the game in Naples.

Leonardo Spinazzola vs Bukayo Saka

Leonardo Spinazzola has bypassed Mathias Olivera in the left-back pecking order at Napoli in the last couple of seasons, despite the Italian's age. Spinazzola turned 33 in March, and certainly doesn't have the athleticism required to cope with a player of Bukayo Saka's calibre.

This should arguably be where Arsenal get the most joy on Wednesday night. Saka is often the Gunners' difference maker, and up against an ageing full-back who has never been blessed with great pace anyway, he should have a field day.

Arsenal need to make sure they feed their talismanic wide man as quickly and as frequently as possible. If they can get Saka isolated one-on-one with Spinazzola, they'll reap the rewards.

Stanislav Lobotka vs Martin Odegaard

Napoli's Slovakian midfield anchor, Stanislav Lobotka, has established himself as the beating heart of Gli Azzurri's team since signing from Celta Vigo back in January 2020. He runs Napoli's possession game with his passing, while he shields the back four alongside former Fulham star Frank Anguissa.

It'll therefore be up to Lobotka to track Arsenal's most in-form playmaker, Martin Odegaard. If the Norwegian finds space in the pockets and evades the 31-year-old's patrol in the middle of the park, then the Gunners should be able to expose Napoli's fragile defence.

However, if Lobotka uses his physicality to negate Odegaard's influence, then Arsenal will lose their own beating heart.

Amir Rrahmani vs Kai Havertz

Arsenal fans who know Napoli for their former Premier League stars, such as Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne, may be wondering where these players are on this list of key individual battles. Well, McTominay is set to miss the game through injury, while De Bruyne's declining physical state means Allegri has used him as a squad player thus far this season.

The absence of these two players means the biggest threat to Arsenal's goal is likely to be Rasmus Hojlund, who certainly won't frighten Gunners supporters who witnessed the Dane's two-year stint at Manchester United.

Instead, it'll be about how Arsenal can threaten Napoli. Allegri's 6'3 Kosovan centre-back Amir Rrahmani will be tasked with dealing Kai Havertz, and this physical battle will be a huge factor in determing the outcome of the game.

The German should be able to get the better of Rrahmani, who lacks pace even if he is an imposing figure. If this does happen, it's difficult to envisage Napoli taking anything from this match.

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