Manchester City preview and predicted line up against Napoli

After bouncing back from two consecutive defeats with a 3-0 win against their local rivals, Manchester City host Napoli on the opening week of the UEFA Champions League.

One of City's greatest ever players, Kevin De Bruyne, returns to the Etihad for the first time since his departure in June.

Last season Pep Guardiola's side drew their opening game in this competition 1-1 against Inter Milan and eventually limped out in the Playoff round at the hands of Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Previous Match: Manchester City 3-0 Manchester United

On Sunday saw City take apart a poor United team in a game in which could've finished four or five nil if the blue side of Manchester really had their shooting boots on.

Phil Foden marked his first league start of the season with his first goal and showed positive signs that he is getting back to the sort of level that saw him win the Player of the Year just two seasons ago.

Erling Haaland did what he does best again by scoring a brace in the derby, carrying his form on from the international break in which he scored five in a game against Moldova in an 11-1 win.

Ruben Amorim's side did have a few chances but thanks to Gianluigi Donnarumma, City were able to keep their first clean sheet since the opening game of the season against Wolves.

Welcome home, @KevinDeBruyne! 🩵 pic.twitter.com/JWmI0R3NxG

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) September 17, 2025

The return of the 'King'

Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne is set to start for Napoli against City just three months after he left the club that he spent the last 10 years at.

De Bruyne scored 16 goals and provided 29 assists for Manchester City in the UCL and was a big part of the treble winning side in 2023 which won this competition for the first time in the club's history.

The Belgian made it clear that he was happy to stay in Manchester and that it was the club's decision to let him go at the end of his contract and so he will be keen to show City what they are missing and remind the fans what they had for the past decade.

Predicted formation and lineup against Napoli

Pep Guardiola is expected to stick to the 4-3-3 formation which he usually goes for in this opening Champions League game. John Stones returned to training on Wednesday after picking up an injury a couple of weeks ago and could be involved.

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma

The Italian number one is expected to keep his place after an impressive debut in the Manchester Derby. There is a chance for James Trafford to get his place back but it's expected that Guardiola is looking for some consistency and to make his number one clear.

Defence: Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake

Two changes are expected from the win over United with Nunes coming in for Gvardiol who has only just returned from injury, with Khusanov moving to centre back. The second chance is Ake for O'reilly as the Dutch international looks to get back to full fitness.

Defensive Midfield: Nico Gonzalez

Nico Gonzalez is expected to replace Rodri who played the majority of the game on Sunday and will be required against Arsenal. This change seems obvious to give the 2024 Ballon D'or winner some rest ahead of a big league game.

Central Midfield: Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders

These two are both expected to keep their place as Foden looks to build on an impressive performance in the derby. Reijnders will be hoping to get back to the levels he showed on his debut against Wolves. With the likes of Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic all unavailable it seems unlikely either Foden or Reijnders will lose their place against Napoli.

Wingers: Oscar Bobb, Savinho

Oscar Bobb could replace club captain Bernardo Silva who didn't impress as a right winger against United. Savinho for Jeremy Doku is a change to give Doku some rest after providing two assists against United and this gives the Brazilian his first start of the season, after missing the first month through injury.

Striker: Erling Haaland

With backup striker Omar Marmoush out injured and the form that the Norwegian is in at the moment, he seems like the first name on the team sheet for Guardiola. Haaland is one away from 50 Champions League goals and he would be the fastest to do it if it comes tomorrow it what will only be his 49th appearance in this competition.

The importance of this game

This opening Champions League comes just three days before City travel to the Emirates to play Arsenal, but as shown last year getting off to a fast start in this competition is important to try to finish in the top eight and avoid the dreaded playoff round.

Guardiola's men will be the favourites against Antonio Conte's Napoli but it won't be an easy game by any means and if they perform how they did against Tottenham and Brighton then they will be lucky to escape with a point.

However, after an impressive victory over their local rivals, City will be looking to build some momentum going into a huge league game on Sunday and this will be a real test as to where Pep's side really are and if the derby win was more due to United being so poor or City making them look that bad.