Manchester City v Napoli – Line-ups, stats and preview

Kevin De Bruyne will return to familiar surroundings this week as his new club Napoli head to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in their opening Champions League League Phase clash on Thursday night.

It’s the first European meeting between the sides since the 2017-18 group stage, when City triumphed home and away, winning 6-3 on aggregate – including a 2-1 success in Manchester.

City head into the tie on the back of a statement 3-0 derby win against Manchester United. After consecutive defeats to Tottenham and Brighton, Pep Guardiola’s men bounced back with Phil Foden opening the scoring and Erling Haaland netting twice to seal the points on an emotional afternoon dedicated to late club icon Ricky Hatton.

Guardiola hopes that victory will spark a turnaround following a sluggish start to the campaign. City, 2023 Champions League winners, endured a poor League Phase last season, finishing just 22nd in the 36-team table before exiting in the knockout play-off against Real Madrid.

They’ve lost four of their last five UCL outings, but remain formidable at the Etihad – unbeaten in 21 League Phase or group matches (W18 D3).

Their record on opening matchdays is also strong, with five wins and one draw from their last six.

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