Arsenal vs Napoli

After a relatively comfortable time in Asia, Arsenal will finally be put to the test in the closing stages of their pre-season in the Emirates cup. This game is going to be very difficult for the Gunners as not only did Napoli finish 2nd in Serie A last season but have strengthened really well after the sale of Edinson Cavani. They’ve brought in Reina, Albiol, Callejon, Merten and Higuain and will no doubt pose a similar threat to the top teams in the Premier League.

I think we’ll need to play at a very high intensity to get any sort of result out of the game. I know this game will still revolve around getting fitness etc. but I want us to start off the season impressively and to do that, we have to take our remaining pre-season games seriously (especially as it looks like our signings won’t come until very late in August).

As you can see from my two line ups, I expect us to play with the more familiar players and we will look to use our more experienced players to get them ready for the new season. The first half will be interesting as we’ll hopefully get to see more of the Sagna – Mertesacker partnership, a duo I think can work extremely well on a competitive level. It will also be great to see our little Spanish magician back in action.
The second half will hopefully introduce the exciting Zelalem who could really prove himself to both Wenger and the fans with a great performance against Napoli. I feel this game will be very difficult to win and I think we’ll be held to a draw.