With the final slate of First Phase matches set to be played in the UEFA Champions League, multiple clubs hope to solidify their respective places in the knockout round. While many clubs have already clinched a spot in the upcoming stage, other teams including Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal still have a significant amount of work remaining in order to move along. Each of the aforementioned teams play in the loaded Group F along with Marseille and even though Arsenal currently holds the top spot in the four-team pool with 12 points, Napoli - Arsenal's next opponent - and Borussia Dortmund remain in the thick of things since they sit just three points shy of the Gunners.
A win for Arsenal will send the Gunners through to the knockout stages and although they possess the upper hand entering the showdown with Napoli, manager Arsene Wenger and company know advancement won't come easy. Should Napoli earn a win of 3-0 or greater or surpass the result of Dortmund in the Germans' match with Marseille, the Italian club would enter the next round of matches, but earning that type of result against an Arsenal squad currently pacing the competitive Barclays Premier League will surely be a tough task.
"We know that Arsenal are very strong but we will try," Napoli manager Rafa Benitez said. "My team has to give 100 per cent. My players know how important tomorrow's game is and they have all trained really well. We have nothing to lose. For us to play at home gives us an added strength. We were unlucky to be placed in such a difficult group but for me, it's better to experience these games rather than watch them on TV.
"The result between Olympique and Borussia Dortmund can help us but the message I have given to my players is to focus on ourselves," he continued. "We will go out determined to win by either scoring one or more goals. However, while we have to play attacking football, we have to do that showing the right balance."
Napoli fell 2-0 to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium back in October but with a heightened level of importance attached to this match, Benitez is expecting a bigger effort from his side in order to advance. "Arsenal will try to control possession and hit us with counter attacks," Benitez noted. "We have to do our thing, focus on ourselves and not on them. Arsenal is a very strong side. This could be the year they win the Premier League."
Arsenal vs. Napoli: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Wednesday, December 11
TIME: 2:45pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: FOX Sports 1
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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