#SOCCER #Napoli buoyed ahead of visit of Emirates London- Arsenal will be looking to retain their place at the top of Group F as they host Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. Both teams secured 2-1 wins in the opening round of matches and will square off in competitive action for the first time at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are on a nine-game winning run in all competitions, with defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season the last time the London club tasted defeat. Their latest success came in Saturday’s 2-1 victory away to Swansea City, with a first professional goal from Serge Gnabry and an effort from in-form Aaron Ramsey - his fifth in his last four games - proving enough for the points. And manager Arsene Wenger is confident that three points against the Serie A side will leave them in a strong position to reach the round of 16. “If we win the second game we know we can qualify,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it is already a decisive game - but it is a game that will have a great bearing on who qualifies. “If we deal with that situation then we will be in a very positive mood to finish the job.” Arsenal’s form has been all the more impressive with an injury list that includes Lukas Podolski (hamstring), Santi Cazorla (ankle) and Theo Walcott (stomach) among the players on the sidelines. But defeating Napoli will be no easy task, as Rafael Benitez’s tenure at the Stadio San Paolo has started in terrific fashion. Napoli have won five and drawn one of their six Serie A fixtures, and began their Champions League campaign with an impressive triumph over last season’s runners-up, Borussia Dortmund. Goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Lorenzo Insigne did the damage on that occasion, and they claimed the maximum haul despite Camilo Zuniga’s late own-goal. Despite their excellent start, Benitez believes the side is yet to reach their full potential, but says the club are confident of their chances in London.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:16:29 +0000
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