It’s that time of the year again, we kick off our Champions League campaign against Napoli, and it has that big match feeling around it.
I mean, UEFA could have shown us some mercy in the opening game, but it is what it is. Now, we have to face the Italian Champions, who are flying this season with 3 wins in 3 games.
That being said, I’m feeling confident as the match is at the Etihad.
Manchester City vs Napoli: Preview
King Kevin, in his first Champions League match for Napoli, will be returning home to the Etihad. This is going to be emotional. I’m just so accustomed to seeing him in our blue shirt that watching him in any other jersey just won’t feel right.
I hope the club has planned something to honour him on his return. I’m pretty sure the Etihad crowd will give him a standing ovation, and I really hope that our defence doesn’t gift him a goal, although I won’t mind him scoring against us as long as we are winning in the end.
KDB & Haaland at the kickoff today pic.twitter.com/r8M8eZhrzJ
— Pranay Singh (@thepranaysingh) September 18, 2025
The Italian Champions are not going to be easy; they already had a great squad, and now they have added the best midfielder of this generation to it. And I do feel the midfield is going to be where the match will be decided in this game.
This is where Rodri’s presence becomes so important; he takes our game 2-3 levels above, and with him on the pitch, I feel safe. We have had a hot and cold start to the season, but with Rodri finding his feet, we are looking better. The win against United gave us just the momentum that we needed before this clash.
Talking of returns, Phil Foden is back and running. It just makes us so much better, and with all the injuries, we needed our Stockport Messi. With him in the team, the attack now has teeth, which at times were lacking, and if Doku continues his form, which he showed against Manchester United, we should be fine because Erling Haaland will put everything that has been served to him in the back of the net.
I have said it before and will say it again: this is going to be Erling Haaland’s season.
My only concern will be our defence. We have been leaking goals since last year, and so far this season, it has been more or less the same story, but with Rodri back and Donnarumma in goal, we should be fine. We just have to make sure that we contain Kevin de Bruyne in the midfield.
Napoli won’t be easy, but I do feel we will just edge past them in a 2-0 victory, and I’m backing Haaland to get another brace.
We need those victories because we cannot have a repeat of last season, you don’t want to dangle on the edge of elimination and then face Real Madrid in a playoff. Looking at our fixtures, though, we should be comfortably finishing in the Top 8 this time around, and hopefully, we go through to the finals.
The road to Budapest begins tonight.
