Arsenal enter Wednesday's Champions League opener at full strength off a perfect start, while Napoli arrive off back-to-back losses. Last season, these two teams had completely different campaigns in the competition, and this season the gap has only grown as Arsenal has rolled through their first four matches.
Match Details
Competition: 2026-27 UEFA Champions League
Matchday: 1
Location: Naples, Italy
Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Arsenal Carry the Better Form
Last season, these two teams had completely different campaigns in the Champions League. In the league phase, Napoli posted a 2-2-4 W-D-L record and finished 30th out of 36 teams. Meanwhile, Arsenal topped the league phase, winning all eight games with an incredible 23:4 goal difference. This season, the gap between these teams has only gotten bigger.
Napoli's Rough Patch
Arsenal have improved their squad, while Napoli have remained around last season's level. To be fair, they are a solid team, and there's reason to expect them to do better in the Champions League this time around. Still, after back-to-back losses to Como (1-2) and Inter (2-3), they're hard to trust to collect points against Arsenal, who have won all four games so far and looked very dominant.
The Case for Arsenal
The Gunners beat Manchester City 3:0 and most recently defeated one of the hottest teams in the Premier League, Chelsea, 2:1. Another problem for the visitors' opponent will be the absence of Scott McTominay, who is out with a heart problem. Arsenal's midfield was already expected to dominate this game, but with McTominay unavailable, that expectation is even stronger.
The Trends Support It
Arsenal's dominant run through their first four matches, capped by wins over Manchester City and Chelsea, is the kind of form that carries into a Champions League opener on the road. Napoli, by contrast, arrive with back-to-back losses to Como and Inter and little positive momentum to lean on.
The Best Bet
Arsenal's perfect start and dominant underlying performances make them the clear play against a Napoli side still finding its level. Napoli's back-to-back losses to Como and Inter make them hard to trust at home against a team playing with this much confidence.
Arsenal ML
