Predicted Arsenal XI vs Napoli: No Declan Rice but £34m star starts for first time in six months

Arsenal begin their European adventure this season with an away game against Napoli.

The Gunners made it into the final of the Champions League last season and were sadly beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout.

Mikel Arteta’s aim will be to go a step further this term, and he definitely has the squad to do it, especially if everyone remains fit.

Here’s how we think Arsenal will line up against Napoli on Wednesday night.

Predicted Arsenal XI vs Napoli

An away game at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona is never easy, but we still expect Arteta to make a few changes to his Arsenal.

The Gunners boss has one of the best squads in Europe in terms of depth, and we think he will give opportunities to a few players who haven’t yet started this season.

However, we still expect several big names to keep their place in the side.

David Raya should start in goal again, with Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes continuing in the heart of the defence in front of him.

In the two full-back positions, though, we expect Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie to get the nod over Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori.

Arsenal’s midfield has been excellent so far this season, but we expect a couple of changes there.

Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly should both get a breather, with Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Zubimendi starting there instead.

In attack, we expect Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka to keep their place, but Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze should get their first starts of the season at striker and left wing, respectively.

Predicted Arsenal XI vs Napoli: Raya, Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Guimaraes, Odegaard, Saka, Gyokeres, Eze

Jurrien Timber’s return is huge for Arsenal

Timber has been included in the travelling squad to face Napoli, and that is massive for Arsenal.

The Dutchman last started a game for the Gunners in March this year against Everton – nearly six months ago. Injuries have caused him all sorts of problems.

White has done a splendid job in his absence so far this season, but history tells us that the Englishman should not be overused.

That is why Timber’s return is likely to make such a big difference for Arsenal, and we can’t wait to see him start again.