Arsenal vs. Napoli Preview: How the Gunners Will Line Up Against Rafael Benitez

Arsenal take on Serie A pace-setters Napoli for the first time ever in a competitive match in Matchday 2 of the Champions League, with the group of death hanging finely in the balance. The two sides beat Marseille and Borussia Dortmund respectively in Matchday 1 and will be eager to follow up those impressive performances with another.

The Gunners, sitting atop the Premier League, will play their fourth game in the competition this season having beaten Fenerbahce twice in the qualifying round before seeing off Marseille in a keenly contested affair in Matchday 1. Arsenal, the sixth-ranked team in the UEFA club coefficient, will face a resurgent Napoli side ranked 46th.

That lowly ranking belies a well disciplined and organized side with a number of dangerous flair players. Arsene Wenger and his team will be more than wary of the attacking prowess of the Neapolitans as the two sides drew 2-2 in the Emirates Cup earlier this summer.

Gonzalo Higuain, so long an Arsenal target, has come in for Napoli and replaced the departing Edinson Cavani without missing a beat. Marek Hamsik remains the driving force in midfield and Jose Callejon has settled in seamlessly.

As good as Napoli's attack is, the key to their early success in Italy's top flight has been their defensive organization. Rafael Benitez, fresh from his Chelsea sojourn, has built upon all the good work put in by his predecessor Walter Mazzarri.

The 51-year-old left for pastures new at Inter Milan during the summer after guiding the Naples-based side to second last season.

Benitez has arrived and in just four months has transformed the system and style at the club without changing the club's philosophy. Under the well-traveled Spaniard, Napoli have moved away from a 3-4-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1.

The tactical changes up front have been small as the forward three always allowed for a lone center-forward. The changes at the back, however, have been hugely transforming and significant. 

Giandomenico Mesto, a squad player last season, has made the right-back position his own this term. Likewise, Juan Zuniga, so often played at left-wing-back under Mazzarri, has reverted to left-back and is arguably the most impressive defender in Serie A this season.

Raul Albiol and Miguel Angel Britos have come in at center-back and formed such a good partnership that the club captain, Paolo Cannavaro, is now fighting to convince the new manager of his worth to the team. The same can be said of Christian Maggio, the outstanding Italian right-back from Euro 2012, who like Cannavaro is having to watch Benitez's team from the sidelines albeit due to injury.

Add in a revitalized goalkeeper Pepe Reina, on loan from Liverpool for the entire season, and you have a side who could go far in this competition.

Arsenal will have their work cut out for them if they are to beat Napoli. A win in France against Marseille was a must considering that Borussia Dortmund and Napoli make up the rest of the group. That being said, Arsene Wenger's side will be expected to beat Marseille in the return game at the Emirates, so that leaves a target of four points from four games against the rest of the group. 

Given the form that Arsenal are in at the moment there won't be too many changes in the starting lineup barring a last-minute injury.

Recent goalkeeping capture Emiliano Viviano played at Bologna with Britos and will be keen to make acquaintances. He, however, will not take the goalkeeping berth from Wojciech Szczesny. The young Pole has been in decent form this term and has kept three clean sheets. His distribution remains suspect, however, but he is still, by far, the best goalkeeper at the club.

Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny will continue their partnership at the center of defense. Thomas Vermaelen has been sighted in an Arsenal jersey just twice this season. The £10 million signing from Ajax and club captain is still on the road back to first-team action after a less-than-satisfactory 2012-13 campaign.

Bacary Sagna is a player who looked lost for much of last season. The French international, out of contract at the end of this season according to TransferMarkt, looked to be playing out his contract. This term, however, he has returned with renewed vigor and is keeping the threat of Carl Jenkinson at bay with ease.

On the other flank, Kieran Gibbs has made the left-back position his own. The 24-year-old could develop into the next great left-back to graduate from the Arsenal coaching system but will have to strengthen significantly to do so. He has, this season, been nothing less than impressive and Nacho Monreal has found himself a regular place on the bench as a result.

Central midfield also picks itself at the moment.

Aaron Ramsey in the form of his life and has scored eight goals in his last eight matches. 

He will be joined by Mathieu Flamini, who returns to action against Napoli having played against them last April for AC Milan. Flamini will member that match all too well as he opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw before being sent off for a disgraceful tackle on Zuniga in the 72nd minute.

He will come face to face with the ex-West Ham United midfielder, Valon Behrami, come matchday with Zuniga playing a deeper role.

Behrami has been one of Napoli's most impressive performers this season. Who Scored statistics state that his pass completion rate is 92 percent and that he makes an average of 3.8 tackles per game. Flamini's are equally as impressive with 92 percent pass completion and 2.4 tackles per game.

The intelligent and creative Swiss international is more than capable of getting under the skin of opposing players, and Wenger will have to be aware of Flamini's past history with him.

In time Jack Wilshere will take the central midfield spot from the Frenchman. For the moment he will have to do with playing on the left to accommodate Mesut Ozil.

Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports that Wilshere is still only at "80-90 percent of his potential" fitness.

"

For Jack, I think it is more a fitness problem than anything else. 

Fitness wise Jack is between 80-90% of his potential. For the rest, he has not a lot to learn - he understands the game, can play anywhere, defensive midfield, central midfield.

He is a complete player.

"

PhysioRoom.com are reporting that Santi Cazorla is still at least one week away from returning to first-team action. It will be more than interesting to see how Wenger deals with Cazorla, Wilshere, Ozil, Ramsey, Flamini, Tomas Rosicky and the injured Theo Walcott when he returns also. There are only five midfield positions available, and someone is going to be bitterly disappointed.

Mesut Ozil's class and big-game experience make him a certainty to feature against Napoli. Olivier Giroud is the default center-forward choice for Wenger as the French striker has no serious competition for the spot. 

That leaves Serge Gnabry to claim the right-sided position for the fourth game in a row. The German youth international made his Premier League debut against Stoke City last week after Walcott pulled up injured in the warm-up.

Since then the 18-year-old has impressed greatly. He even scored his first goal for the club against Swansea City this past weekend—the win sent Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League. The Napoli match, for Gnabry, represents a huge jump in the standard of the opposition, and he will be facing the most in-form defender in Serie A in Zuniga.

This game is sure to be a tight, tactically intriguing affair. Both sides are three points to the good after Matchday 1 and will be sent out not to lose—this is not the same as going out for a win.

Arsenal have only lost four times in 18 matches to Italian opposition since 2000 and should be confident of a result. 

The last was a 4-0 defeat to AC Milan in Italy in the quarterfinals in 2012. They did manage to restore pride in the return leg at the Emirates thanks to a 3-0 scoreline as Koscielny, Rosicky and Robin van Persie all scored. 

Wenger knows the task at hand is tough but more than achievable. Speaking to the Daily Express after the Gunners' latest Premier League victory—their ninth win in a row in all competitions—Wenger said:

"

Rafael Benitez is a great manager. For Napoli to beat Dortmund is special.

Napoli’s counter-attacking style struck me in the Emirates Cup.

They all come out like bombs every time they win the ball, so the transition by our team from offense to defense will have to be very quick.

We have started very well, with the win in Marseille, and if you win the second game at home you have a good chance to qualify.

I wouldn’t say it’s already a decisive game, but it’s one that will have a great weight on the end result of the qualifying teams.

"

Like the old saying goes, "Arsene knows best." A win and Arsenal are almost through to the round of 16.

Statistics provided by UEFA.com, WhoScored.com, Arsenal.com, PremierLeague.com, Opta.com