Arsenal are back in the Champions League, and their reward for reaching the final in May is a draw stacked with European heavyweights.

Kick-off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is at 8pm local time on Wednesday, 9 September, the first of eight league-phase fixtures that will also send Arteta’s side to Munich and bring Real Madrid to the Emirates.

For Arsenal, this is the first act of a Champions League that got away. On 30 May they drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain over 120 minutes at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest before losing 4-3 on penalties, denying them a first European Cup.

Napoli, then Munich, then Madrid

The 36-team league phase gives every side eight matches, four at home and four away. Arsenal travel to Napoli, Bayern Munich, Slavia Prague and Real Betis, and host Lille, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Sabah of Azerbaijan.

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Bayern’s Allianz Arena is next after Naples, on 21 October, and Real Madrid come to the Emirates on 9 December.

Allegri’s Napoli come in on a defeat

Napoli come into Wednesday having lost 2-1 at home to Como on 30 August, a jolt in Allegri’s early weeks as head coach. The Italian was appointed on 3 July on a three-year contract after Antonio Conte, who had won the Scudetto in 2024/25, left at the end of the following season. Napoli finished second in Serie A last term, behind Inter’s 21st title.

Allegri said his side had been “too soft” in defeat to Como.

“At times we are too soft; on the other hand, we also had several chances,” the Napoli coach said, adding that his team had been “too soft in the way we conceded the goals, especially the second one” and had to “be more attentive when defending”.

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Saliba named in the squad, but not fit

Arsenal named William Saliba in their Champions League squad, but the France centre-back has been out with a recurring back injury and is not expected to feature in Naples. That leaves Arteta without his first-choice centre-back for the trip.

Some comfort for the Arsenal manager, at least, is that his side arrive as the reigning Premier League champions, a title won in May after a 22-year wait and one that made Arteta the first Arsenal manager since Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles to lift the trophy.

Arsenal host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, 6 September, three days before the Naples opener.

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