Arsenal begin their Champions League campaign away to Napoli on Wednesday, and Mikel Arteta has made clear he is eager for the first test. He said he was really excited to start the campaign, but also warned that the opener comes in a “really, really tough place”.
That is the sort of night Arsenal wanted back on the calendar. Last season they finished as runners-up in the Champions League, and Arteta has now taken them from quarter-finalists to semi-finalists and then to the brink of the title in his first three campaigns in charge. The next step starts in Naples, where Napoli finished second in Serie A last term and where the home side have built a formidable record in European competitions.
Arteta’s own words explain why the trip is drawing attention. Arsenal have lost only one of their last 12 Champions League matches, a run that points to a team that now expects to compete deep into the competition. But he did not dress up the challenge as manageable. He said Arsenal need to start well, put in a big performance and give themselves the best possible chance of winning.
There is also a reason his warning carries weight. Arteta said he has been in that stadium before and knows the atmosphere Napoli create, which is part of why he described the setting as so difficult. Napoli’s summer appointment of Massimiliano Allegri adds another layer, too, because it gives them a six-time Scudetto winner at the start of a new European campaign and underlines the experience Arsenal are walking into.
For Arsenal, this is more than a routine opener. It is the first chance to show that their recent Champions League consistency can travel with them into a hostile away setting and turn a strong run into a result that matters from the start. If they want to move closer to European glory, this is the kind of night that cannot be wasted.
