Arsenal begin their latest Champions League campaign on Wednesday night in Naples, with manager Mikel Arteta expected to freshen up his starting lineup for the trip to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Gunners head into the new league phase off the back of a remarkable run in last season's competition, having won all eight of their group matches and going the entire tournament without suffering a defeat inside 90 minutes. Now Arteta will look to build on that foundation as Arsenal aim to go even further this time around, and the depth of his squad means he has plenty of options to rotate for the visit to Napoli.
One enforced change in midfield looks likely, with Bruno Guimaraes sidelined after picking up a knock that kept him out of Arsenal's last outing against Chelsea. Martin Zubimendi is the frontrunner to step into that role alongside Declan Rice, giving Arteta a settled base in the middle of the park.
Further forward, there could be fresh faces given the opportunity to impress. Eberechi Eze is in contention to feature on the left flank, while Viktor Gyokeres may be handed his first start of the season if Arteta decides to manage Kai Havertz's workload carefully. Both Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are expected to retain their places in an attacking unit that also features Gyokeres through the middle, according to the anticipated setup.
At the back, Arteta's choices are more restricted due to ongoing injury issues. Ezri Konsa appears set to continue alongside Gabriel in central defence, replicating the pairing that started in the win over Chelsea at the weekend. William Saliba remains unavailable, adding to the selection headache in that area of the pitch.
Left-back could be another area to watch. Riccardo Calafiori has impressed in the opening weeks of the campaign, but given his history of fitness struggles since joining Arsenal, there is a possibility the club will look to manage his minutes carefully rather than risk overloading him early in the season. Piero Hincapie, who was the only fit defensive option on the bench against Chelsea, could be given the nod to start in his place.
Elsewhere, David Raya is expected to continue in goal, with Ben White completing the back line. In midfield and attack, the blend of experience and fresh legs should give Arsenal a strong platform against a Napoli side playing in front of their own supporters.
Doubts remain over the availability of Mosquera and Timber, whose fitness will be assessed before kickoff, while Saliba's continued absence means Arteta must once again find solutions in defence without one of his key centre-backs.
The manager is due to provide further clarity on his squad during a pre-match press conference in Italy on Tuesday evening, when he is expected to address the fitness of his defensive options as well as give an update on how he plans to rotate his front line throughout the group stage.
Kickoff at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is scheduled for 8pm BST on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, with the match available to watch live on TNT Sports. Arsenal will be eager to start their new European campaign with the same level of consistency that defined their impressive run through the competition last season.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (football).