Match Preview; Arsenal v Napoli, Champion’s League Match Day 2

Arsenal versus Napoli. In my opinion it is the glamour tie of the whole group. Not to discount Dortmund, but we’ve seen them before. We’ve only ever played Napoli once, in this past August’s Emirates Cup.  This time it’s for real.

And what a tie it should be.

Both clubs are riding high in their respective leagues. Arsenal sit atop the Premier League and Napoli sit second in Serie A without a loss. Both clubs are tied for the lead of the Champion’s League group and you get a feeling that if one of these clubs comes out on top of this tie, the path to the knockout stage will have gotten easier.

But it’s not going to be easy for either side.

Arsenal face off against a Napoli side that presents them with a mirade of problems. It’s not farfetched to say, this is the best side Arsenal have faced off against at any point since the win over Bayern Munich in March last year.

The revitalized Napoli under new (yet very familiar) manager Rafa Benitez and a slew of new signings, like Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon, Raul Albiol, Pepe Reina, and Dries Mertens (to name a few) have not missed a beat after selling Edinson Cavani this season. As a matter of fact, as good as Napoli seemed these previous two seasons, they look a more complete team.

It may be due to the plethora of talent brought in or it could be Rafa’s tactics and employment of the 4-2-3-1. Or it could be both. Regardless, Napoli are playing well and look to be serious challengers not only to move out of the group (after their impressive win against Dortmund) but also for the Serie A title.

Napoli were able to beat Dortmund in my opinion based on true Rafa tactics. True to his style in Europe, his Napoli were more than happy to concede possession to the Germans. Sitting back and absorbing pressure to hit on a counter attack trying to get the ball up to Higuain who stays high up the pitch looking to exploit gaps in the defense. This is something we can expect today versus Arsenal.

And while Arsenal are not a team who specifically prepare for an individual opponent, they should note that Napoli were affected by high pressure. A few times intense pressure and marking from Dortmund caused individual errors that could’ve been exploited but weren’t.

I fully expect that Arsenal not only will dominate possession but given Napoli’s effective use of the space out wide, the Arsenal midfield may find more joy in this match up. The key will then be doing something about it and taking AND making the chances they create.

What can’t happen is over committing forward and letting the Napoli wings hurt us. This is a good match up for Sagna, Gnabry, Gibbs and Wilshere/Özil (given that they rotate) who will not only have to use their offensive talents but just as good getting back to help out on defense.

I read an interesting interchange on twitter yesterday by Tim Stillman where, discussing the Swansea match up, he said (and I paraphrase) – it’s not dominating the match that matters but dominating the key moments of the match that matter.

Arsenal don’t necessarily have to dominate this match. They likely will have the fair share of play for the reasons we mentioned previously. What they can’t do though is let Napoli dictate events – when it matters. Arsenal have to do it. They need to get the ball in and around the 18 yard box and work Napoli defense and their old “friend” Pepe Reina.

Reine looks rejuvenated at Napoli but he is still Pepe Reina. And while he looks hot one minute he can look absolutely cold another. The red hot Aaron Ramsey, along with Olivier Giroud and others have to put shots on the keeper and test him. He’s a good shot stopper but he’s also prone to gaffes when challenged.

Arsenal can dictate the moments by their slick passing and effective counter attacking play. Where Dortmund failed is in protecting against set plays (and the sending off) Arsenal have shown vast improvement here in both defending set pieces and scoring on set pieces. Arsenal just need to do all the things they’ve been doing well and they should come out of this unscathed.

Given how both teams are playing at the moment – I think it still ends in a well-earned, hard fought draw.

Players to watch:
Arsenal. Mesut Özil. He is the type of player these showcases were made for. So good and still a long way to go before he is completely settled into this squad.

Napoli. Gonzalo Higuain. The former Arsenal target has flourished in Italy as the main man of Rafa’s attack. He is scoring with regularity and

Projected Lineups:
Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs;  Flamini, Ramsey, Wilshere;  Özil, Gnabry; Giroud

Napoli: Reina; Mesto, Albiol, Britos, Zuniga; Behrami, Inler; Callejon, Hamsik, Insigne; Higuain

Arsenal Injuries and Suspensions:
Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee) Podolski (thigh) Cazorla (foot) Diaby(knee) Sanogo (back)

Head to Head Tournament Stats:

Match Official:
Referee: Milorad Mažić (SRB)
Assistant referees: Milovan Ristić (SRB) , Dalibor Djurdjević (SRB)
Additional assistant referees: Danilo Grujić (SRB) , Miodrag Gogić (SRB)
Fourth official: Vladimir Čadjenović (SRB)

Broadcast Information:
US: FoxSoccer 2 Go 2:45 PM EST

UK: Sky Sports 2 1945 GMT/20.45 CET

YAMA Prediction:
Arsenal: 2

Napoli: 2

Match Facts (courtesy UEFA Press Kit:)

• Although the teams are meeting for the first time, Napoli have a wealth of recent experience against English sides.
  • Two seasons ago, in their first UEFA Champions League group campaign, they drew 1-1 away at Manchester City FC before a 2-1 home success. They advanced to the round of 16 where they appeared to have the measure of Chelsea FC, winning 3-1 at Stadio San Paolo.
  • However the London club, under a new manager with Roberto Di Matteo having succeeded André Villas-Boas, hit back in the return, winning 4-1 after extra time to go through. Gökhan Inler got Napoli’s goal.
  • The Italian side also lost 3-1 at Liverpool FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage.
• Arsenal have frustrating memories of their last contest with a Serie A side. Facing AC Milan in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16, they looked out of it after losing 4-0 away but responded in style in the return. Laurent Koscielny and Tomáš Rosický scored inside the first 30 minutes, but the eventual 3-0 win was not enough.
  • It was the Gunners’ fourth victory in their last five home games against Italian teams without conceding; the other game ended goalless.
  • In 14 home games against Italian opponents Arsenal have won eight and lost two; the most recent reverse came against FC Internazionale Milano, who triumphed 3-0 in the 2003/04 group stage, before Arsenal embarked on that current run of four wins in five games.
•  Arsène Wenger’s team, who finished fourth in the 2012/13 Premier League, are in the group stage for the 16th season in a row. For the sixth time in eight campaigns they had to negotiate a qualifying round, dispatching Fenerbahçe SK 5-0 on aggregate in the play-offs with Aaron Ramsey scoring three times.
• Last year Arsenal departed in the round of 16 for the third season in row, losing 3-1 at home to FC Bayern München and then bowing out on away goals despite a 2-0 success in Munich. It was the 13th successive time that they had made it through the group.
• After Inter’s 2003 victory, the Gunners remained unbeaten in home matches against non-English opposition for nine years and were 16 European games undefeated against all-comers in north London until FC Schalke 04 won 2-0 in last season’s group stage, becoming the first foreign visitors to win at the Arsenal Stadium.
• Napoli struggled on their travels in last season’s UEFA Europa League; in the group they lost 3-0 at PSV Eindhoven and 3-1 at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk before a 2-1 win at AIK. Their hopes ended in the round of 32 when FC Viktoria Plzeň won 3-0 in Naples en route to a 5-0 aggregate triumph.

Manager’s Comments:

Arsène Wenger, manager

We are in a tough group, if you look at the teams – Marseille, Dortmund, Napoli and us – they are all at the top of their league in big football countries. For us it’s vital to continue our run, but you know as well that the importance of a home game will be decisive in a group of this quality.

Our home form will be important because we have taken three points away from home [beating Olympique de Marseille on matchday one]. We know that away from home we have good strengths as well, so I believe that our home form against all the three teams will certainly make the decision.

You believe 100% or you don’t believe. I think in our job the most important thing is to have a good balance between ambition and humility. Ambition because of course we want to win, but humility as well because we know we have only played six games so to speak today about the title is ridiculous. But what we have done is what we want to do – continue to have the best ambition, but I think the team has a good humility and we are conscious that we want to improve.

I wouldn’t like to be mathematical, but they say on average 10.2 points qualifies you. How we will make the 0.2 is a mystery, but that’s what is generally needed. That’s why I say the home games are important. Having won away from home if we win our home games, we will be there

Rafael Benítez, coach

It’s the opposite thing [to the first game] – now we need to control the euphoria, we are going to play against a top side and we must show character, strength [and also] respect to a team that is top of the league and playing very well. I was expecting a strong [Arsenal] team because I think Wenger is the top coach in the Premier League, and then they signed top players so it’s going well for them.

I said it before – he is a great manager, a great person. He is someone that knows the league in England and in Europe, and I think he is doing a great job and I hope that one year he can win it – although not this year, just in case.

My idea is always to take it one game at a time. Now my priority is the Champions League and on Sunday it will be Serie A. At the moment we have a strong enough squad to challenge for both.