Arsene Wenger has warned his Arsenal stars that Napoli will be motivated to prove a point in the Champions League on Tuesday. Wenger’s side are brim full of confidence after opening up a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Swansea on Saturday.
That success in south Wales was the Gunners’ fifth successive league victory and maintained their remarkable revival since an opening day defeat against Aston Villa that looked set to trigger another season of underachievement.
But Wenger is well aware, Serie A high flyers Napoli will be determined to end the Arsenal renaissance at the Emirates Stadium, especially since boss Rafael Benitez and star striker Gonzalo Higuain both want to prove their worth to English audiences.
Benitez failed to earn a long-term contract at Chelsea at the end of his interim spell in charge last season despite leading the club to Europa League glory and also securing a top four finish in the Premier League.
Instead Benitez headed off to Italy, where he has already galvanised Napoli to win five of their first six Serie A matches, while also starting their Champions League challenge by beating last year’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home.
Wenger is not surprised to see his old rival Benitez having an instant impact. ‘Rafael Benitez is a great manager and has done well everywhere,’ Wenger said. ‘He has a vast experience now, he has worked in Italy twice, worked in England, worked in Spain.
‘All that together makes a manager more confident and more convinced of his opinions and you are not surprised how successful he has been throughout his career.’ Napoli’s fine form this season and Arsenal’s sudden revival makes their clash in north London one of the more intriguing encounters.
Borussia Dortmund host Olympique Marseille on Tuesday with both sides badly needing a win after opening defeats to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Champions League’s knock-out phase.
Weidenfeller is suspended for Tuesday’s match at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, while Klopp will be in the stands having been given a one-mtach ban from the bench by European football’s governing body UEFA.