Kevin De Bruyne will return to the Etihad Stadium in familiar surroundings on Thursday night, but this time as a Napoli player, when the Italian side face Manchester City in their opening League Phase fixture of the 2025-26 Champions League. The two teams have not met in Europe since the 2017-18 group stage, when City won both encounters with a combined score of 6-3, including a 2-1 victory at home.
After back-to-back defeats against Tottenham and Brighton ahead of the international break, Manchester City bounced back in style with a commanding 3-0 derby win over Manchester United at the Etihad.
The victory carried extra emotion as the club and city mourned the passing of Manchester-born boxing legend Ricky Hatton. Phil Foden, making a much-anticipated return, opened the scoring in the first half, before two second-half strikes from Erling Haaland sealed the win and bragging rights for the Citizens.
Pep Guardiola will hope that the derby success sparks momentum after a shaky start to the season. While attention will inevitably turn to a Premier League clash with title rivals Arsenal this weekend, City’s immediate focus is on their 15th consecutive Champions League campaign. Last season, the 2023 winners underperformed in the League Phase, finishing 22nd in the 36-team table (W3 D2 L3) before falling to former champions Real Madrid in the knockout playoffs.
City have lost four of their last five Champions League games (W1), but they remain formidable at home, unbeaten in their last 21 group-stage fixtures at the Etihad (W18 D3). They have also won five and drawn one of their last six opening-day matches in the competition, offering encouragement ahead of the challenge posed by Napoli.
Napoli, fresh from winning their second Serie A title in three seasons under Antonio Conte, have made a perfect start to the new campaign, winning all three opening league games against Cagliari, Sassuolo, and Fiorentina. New signings Rasmus Hojlund and Kevin De Bruyne have made immediate impacts, with both scoring in last weekend’s 3-1 triumph over Fiorentina. Conte, however, has urged his squad to maintain focus until the final whistle, cautioning against lapses that could allow opponents back into games.
This will be Conte’s fifth Champions League team, alongside Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Tottenham. Napoli are preparing for their ninth European campaign after missing out on last season’s competition for the first time since 2009-10. Although Napoli have lost only three of their last 18 group-stage matches (W11 D4), they have never beaten an English team away from home in Europe, losing at least once to six of the seven sides they have faced, with Leicester City the sole exception in 2021-22.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Manchester City will be missing four key players due to injury as they prepare to face Napoli. Omar Marmoush is sidelined with a knee problem, Rayan Cherki’s issue remains unspecified, Rayan Ait-Nouri is struggling with an ankle injury, and Mateo Kovacic is out with an Achilles problem. John Stones is also nursing a minor muscle strain and is not expected to feature against the Serie A champions.
Pep Guardiola faces decisions on how many changes to make to his starting lineup. Players such as Rico Lewis, Nathan Ake, Nico Gonzalez, Oscar Bobb, and Savinho could be recalled after beginning on the bench in Sunday’s derby win over Manchester United.
Despite potential rotation elsewhere, Erling Haaland is expected to retain his place up front. The Norwegian striker has been in sensational form in the Champions League, scoring 49 goals in just 48 appearances, and he is on course to become the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the competition. Haaland also has a chance to surpass Thierry Henry’s all-time UCL scoring record.
For Napoli, all eyes will be on Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to receive a warm welcome from the Etihad crowd. The Belgian midfielder returns to face the club where he spent a decade, winning 19 trophies, including the 2023 Champions League. However, Napoli have their own injury concerns.
Romelu Lukaku remains sidelined with a long-term knee problem and has been left out of the UCL squad, alongside Luca Marianucci and Pasquale Mazzocchi. Amir Rrahmani (hamstring), Nikita Contini (broken hand), and Alex Meret (muscle) are also unavailable for selection.
Up front, Rasmus Hojlund is expected to compete with 6ft 7in striker Lorenzo Lucca for a starting spot, while Scott McTominay, last season’s Serie A Player of the Year and former Manchester United midfielder, is likely to feature in Antonio Conte’s first XI. Meanwhile, Billy Gilmour may have to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, Ake; Rodri, Gonzalez; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Buongiorno, Spinazzola; Lobotka; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund
EXPERT PREDICTION
Manchester City 2-1 Napoli
