Arsenal's build-up to their Champions League opener against Napoli hit an unexpected snag on Tuesday as a nationwide air traffic control failure across the UK delayed the squad's flight to Italy, forcing the cancellation of their pre-match press conference.
Manager Mikel Arteta and defender Riccardo Calafiori had been scheduled to address the media at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona ahead of Wednesday's Group Stage fixture, but the session was scrapped due to the disruption, which also affected supporters travelling out for the match. UEFA granted Arsenal permission to skip the mandatory appearance given the circumstances.
The Gunners squad completed their usual morning training session at the club's Hertfordshire base before waiting out the delay, eventually departing later than planned. The team was not expected to touch down in Naples until around 9.30pm local time. Club sources stressed that, beyond the late arrival at the team hotel, their overall schedule for the trip remained unchanged.
Amid the travel disruption, there was a boost on the injury front as Jurrien Timber travelled with the squad and is in line to feature for the first time since Arsenal's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in Budapest on 30 May. The Dutch defender underwent groin surgery over the summer, a problem that also forced him to miss the World Cup.
Ahead of Sunday's 2-1 Premier League win over Chelsea, Arteta had given an encouraging update on the 25-year-old's condition. "Jurrien is in really good condition at the moment," the Arsenal manager said. "He's been a few weeks on the pitch and has been training with us, so he's in a really good place."
Not every piece of team news was positive, however, as Cristhian Mosquera continues to be sidelined by a muscle injury sustained against Aston Villa, which also kept him out of the Chelsea fixture. Alongside the already-absent William Saliba, Mosquera was the only senior Arsenal player not involved in Tuesday's training. Seventeen-year-old academy defender Marli Salmon, who signed his first professional contract last month, has been included in the 23-man travelling squad.
Arsenal head into the match on the back of a perfect start to the season, having won all three of their Premier League fixtures against Coventry, Aston Villa and Chelsea, in addition to a 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City. Their European pedigree is also strong, having won all eight group-stage matches last season en route to the final, and having lost just once in their last 12 away fixtures in the competition.
Despite the encouraging form, Arteta was cautious about looking too far ahead. "That puts us in a really good situation. The energy and the confidence around the team is high – now we have to show that," he said. "I've been in that stadium before, I know the atmosphere they create. The record at home is really, really strong. We know the challenge ahead. We are prepared and we're ready to go."
Napoli, last season's Serie A runners-up behind Inter, have endured a shakier start under new manager Massimiliano Allegri, winning their opening game at Genoa before losing back-to-back matches to Como and Inter Milan. Kevin De Bruyne is expected to be involved, but the hosts will be without midfielder Scott McTominay, who successfully underwent an ablation procedure for an irregular heartbeat and is expected to resume training in a fortnight. Former Fulham midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa is also likely to be missing as Allegri prepares for his first Champions League match in four years.
"People in this town have passion for the team, we have to start winning games again," Allegri said. "We know we are challenging a very strong team – Arteta has done extraordinary things. Let's face it with pride and desire."
Separately, Arsenal announced the signing of 16-year-old striker Mylo Bernard from Crystal Palace as part of their scholarship intake for the 2026-27 season, after he scored more than 40 goals for Palace's academy last term.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football and Independent Football.