Opposition analysis on Napoli - who face Arsenal tonight in the Champions League
Gunners take on Italians at the Emirates Stadium in vital Group F fixture
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Your support makes all the difference.With one of the finest interim managers ever to grace the Premier League in charge, Napoli have made an impressive start to the season, and are currently second in Serie A, the same position in which they ended the last campaign.
Rafa Benitez’s side have yet to taste defeat in any of their matches in all competitions this season, and have won all three of their away fixtures.
Napoli were boosted over the summer by the arrivals of Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina on loan for the season, the Real Madrid trio of Raul Albiol, Jose Callejon, and the much coveted (at least by Arsenal), Gonzalo Higuain, plus Belgian winger Dries Mertens from PSV.
Reina is the only member of the Napoli squad to have started all of their games this season, and did something last week that no other ‘keeper has ever done before – save a penalty from Mario Balotelli. He has said that he doubts he will return to Anfield.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed at the weekend that he tried to sign Higuain for the Gunners over the summer: “We were working on two or three targets and he was one of them,” Wenger confirmed. “It didn’t come off in the end, [but] that doesn’t take anything away from his quality.” That quality has seen the Argentine striker score four goals in seven appearances for the Italians already this season.
Marek Hamsik is integral to the Napoli midfield, the 26-year-old Slovakian is constantly linked with moves abroad, most recently to Manchester United, but has reiterated his desire to stay at the Stadio San Paolo.
One good omen for Arsenal, however, is that Napoli have never won a European match in England, recording four defeats and one draw in their games in the country.
And to add to that piece of encouragement, while Napoli have never won in England, Benitez has never won at Arsenal, in nine matches in all competitions at both Highbury and the Emirates Stadium (5 losses, 4 draws).
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