Massimiliano Allegri has made Arsenal's defensive work the focus of the build-up to Napoli's Champions League opener. He said Arsenal are “one of the best” and called their defence their greatest strength, with Napoli hosting the Gunners at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night.

Arsenal's defence under the spotlight

Allegri's line is hard to argue with when you look at the recent numbers. Arsenal have conceded just a single goal in three games this season, and they have allowed only two goals across their last five matches in all competitions. They are also on five straight wins, which fits the picture of a side that is hard to break down and quick to punish mistakes.

The Italian coach also said Mikel Arteta has done “an extraordinary job” over the last four years and that Arsenal “work together as a team”. He was making the point after highlighting that Arsenal concede very few goals, and that collective shape looks like the main reason Napoli are treating this as a serious test.

Napoli's demand for a perfect performance

Giovanni Di Lorenzo's message was less about admiration and more about the margin for error. “In the Champions League, the level is so high that you are punished by the tiniest error, so we need the perfect performance in order to get a result,” he said. He also said the game arrives “at the right time” after defeat, with Napoli trying to respond quickly.

That urgency makes sense. Napoli finished 30th out of 36 teams in the competition last year, and they have lost their last two games while picking up just three points from a possible nine. They had also been leading 2-0 at San Siro before conceding three goals, which is exactly the kind of lapse Di Lorenzo is warning about.

Arsenal's control is the story of the build-up, but Napoli's side of it is pretty plain too. Allegri is praising a team that has conceded two goals in five matches, and Di Lorenzo is asking his own side for a near-perfect night just to stay in the game.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →