Manchester City vs SSC Napoli: Predictions , Preview, Lineups, H2h for September 19, 2025

On Thursday, Manchester City will host Napoli at the Etihad Stadium for the first match of the 2025/26 Champions League group stage. This game promises to be exciting with plenty of goals anticipated.

Match Preview

Manchester City, who recently signed goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, is looking to improve after a frustrating last season. Although they won the 2023 Champions League, City was knocked out in the first knockout round of the 2024/25 edition by Real Madrid. The team has a strong home record, remaining unbeaten in regular time in 36 of their last 37 Champions League games at the Etihad and scoring at least twice in 15 of their last 17 home matches.

City has also performed well against Italian teams, with only one loss in nine meetings. They will, however, be without key players like Stones and Kovacic. Nevertheless, their squad depth, featuring players like Haaland, Foden, and Doku, allows them to stay competitive, especially in attack.

Napoli, returning to the Champions League as Serie A champions, aims to match their quarter-finals run from the 2022/23 season. They’ve strengthened their lineup with Rasmus Højlund, who is expected to enhance their offensive capabilities. However, their record against English teams in Europe is challenging, having not secured a win in 10 matches, with seven losses.

Despite this, Napoli has been consistently scoring in their European matches, netting in nine straight Champions League games and managing to score in 10 of their last 12 away games. Yet, defensive issues remain, as they have allowed two or more goals in five of their last 12 away fixtures.

Probable Lineups

• Manchester City: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Riley, Reijnders, Rodri, Silva, Doku, Haaland, Foden
• Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Beukema, Spinazzola, Politano, De Bruyne, Lobotka, Zambo Anguissa, McTominay, Højlund

Match Facts and Head-to-Head

• Manchester City has kept a clean sheet in 6 of their last 8 home Champions League games.
• Napoli has never won in 10 European matches against English clubs.
• Both teams have been scoring frequently: City has netted at least twice in 15 of their last 17 home games, while Napoli has scored in 10 of their last 12 away matches.

Prediction

Both teams excel in attack, and while Napoli has defensive weaknesses, they possess significant offensive talent. City is strong at home, but Napoli may still find the net. A good betting option is “Both teams to score” at odds of 1.76.