Viktor Gyokeres leads Arsenal attack as Kevin De Bruyne starts for Napoli

Viktor Gyokeres has been named in Arsenal’s starting line-up to lead the attack against Napoli in the opening round of the Champions League league phase.

Arsenal travel to face Napoli in their first fixture of this season’s competition, with manager Mikel Arteta selecting Gyokeres as the central striker.

Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri has also handed a starting role to Kevin De Bruyne, who will operate in midfield for the Italian side.

Napoli’s starting line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Alex Meret

Defenders: Mathias Olivera, Amir Rrahmani, Rafa Marin, Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Midfielders: Stanislav Lobotka, Billy Gilmour, Kevin De Bruyne

Forwards: Alisson Santos, Rasmus Højlund, Matteo Politano

Arsenal will begin with:

Goalkeeper: David Raya

Defenders: Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Mikel Merino

Attacking midfielders: Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Eberechi Eze

Forward: Viktor Gyokeres

This is the third season in which the Champions League has featured 36 teams in its league phase.

Each team will play eight matches during that stage, with four fixtures at home and four away. Points will be accumulated in a single league table before the knockout places are decided.

The top eight teams in the standings will qualify directly for the last 16. Teams finishing from ninth to 16th will enter play-offs against sides placed from 17th to 24th, with the eight winners completing the last-16 line-up.

Following the draw, the teams finishing ninth and 10th will face one of the clubs ranked 23rd or 24th. The same process will apply to the remaining positions in the play-off places.

Napoli’s league-phase schedule is:

– Arsenal at home – Manchester City away – Club Brugge at home – Porto away – Bodø/Glimt at home – Villarreal away – Viking at home – Sabah Baku away

Arsenal’s fixtures are:

– Real Madrid at home – Bayern Munich away – Borussia Dortmund at home – Real Betis away – Lille at home – Napoli away – Sabah Baku at home – Slovan Bratislava away

The meeting in Naples gives both clubs an immediate test under the expanded Champions League format. Arteta has opted to place his faith in Gyokeres at the head of Arsenal’s attack, while Allegri has included De Bruyne from the start as Napoli begin their league-phase campaign.