Reigning Serie A champions, Napoli, will kick off their Champions League 2025/26 season live on Paramount+ against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this Thursday.
After two back-to-back defeats against Tottenham and Brighton, City finally scored confidence-boosting 3-0 victory in the Manchester derby last weekend. Guardiola’s team is still struggling with consistency and is currently eighth in the league standings.
Napoli, meanwhile, started their Serie A title defense in a dominant fashion. They defeated Cagliari, Sassuolo, and Fiorentina for a winning start in the league and are comfortably sitting atop the leaderboard.
These two teams are set to face each other for the first time since the 2017-18 Champions League group stage clash, where Man City comfortably won with an aggregate score of 6-3.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times, and the latest lineup news.
Man City vs. Napoli live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Champions League match in the U.S.:
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Paramount+
This match is not available for live TV broadcast in the United States. Streaming options are available on Paramount+.
Starting this season, Paramount+ will launch its new Multiview feature, allowing fans to watch four matches at once, select their preferred audio and build their own custom matchday experience for UEFA matches.
The feature will be available exclusively for UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League competitions on web across desktop devices at launch.
Paramount+ does have a FREE trial, so new subscribers can enjoy it for one week before making a payment.
What time does Man City vs. Napoli kick off?
This Champions League clash takes place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England and kicks off on Thursday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. local time (BST).
Here’s how that time translates across the U.S.:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Thu, Sept. 18 | 3:00 p.m. |
| Central Time | Thu, Sept. 18 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Thu, Sept. 18 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Thu, Sept. 18 | 12:00 p.m. |
Man City vs. Napoli lineups, team news
The hosts have several key injuries in their camp, as Omar Marmoush (knee), Rayan Cherki (muscle), Rayan Ait-Nouri (ankle), and Mateo Kovacic (Achilles) are all sidelined with their injuries, and John Stones is currently recovering from a minor muscle issue, and his fitness will be monitored ahead of Thursday’s clash.
Guardiola has plenty of options, and he will likely think about rotating key players for this match. Rico Lewis, Nathan Ake, Nico Gonzalez, and Oscar Bobb are likely to get a nod in the starting lineup after starting as substitutes in the Manchester derby.
Man City predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, Ake — Rodri, Gonzalez — Savinho, Foden, Doku — Haaland.
Injured: Marmoush (knee), Cherki (muscle), Ait-Nouri (ankle), Kovacic (Achilles) and Stones (muscle/doubtful)
Suspended: None
As for Napoli, it will be an emotional moment for Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to make his first European appearance at the Etihad Stadium against his former team. The Etihad crowd is expected to give a warm welcome to this star midfielder for his contributions during his 10-year tenure with the club.
However, Gli Azzurri will miss the services of Romelu Lukaku (knee) along with Luca Marianucci and Pasquale Mazzocchi—the trio were ruled out of Napoli’s UCL squad.
Amir Rrahmani (hamstring), Nikita Contini (broken hand), and Alex Meret (muscle) are also unavailable for selection with their respective injuries.
Napoli’s ace midfielder Scott McTominay is likely to start in Thursday’s clash.
Napoli predicted XI (3-4-2-1, right to left): Carnesecchi (GK) — Scalvini, Hien, Djimsiti — Bellanova, De Roon, Pasalic, Zalewski — De Ketelaere, Maldini — Krstovic.
Injured: Rrahmani (hamstring), Contini (broken hand) and Meret (muscle)
Suspended: None
Champions League fixture schedule this week
Wednesday, September 17
- Olympiacos vs. Pafos FC (12:45 p.m. ET)
- Slavia Prague vs. FK Bodø/Glimt (12:45 p.m. ET)
- Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (3 p.m. ET)
- Ajax vs. Inter Milan (3 p.m. ET)
- Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3 p.m. ET)
- PSG vs. Atalanta (3 p.m. ET)
Thursday, September 18
- Club Brugge vs. AS Monaco (12:45 p.m. ET)
- FC Copenhagen vs. Bayer Leverkusen (12:45 p.m. ET)
- Newcastle United vs. Barcelona (3 p.m. ET)
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Galatasaray (3 p.m. ET)
- Manchester City vs. Napoli (3 p.m. ET)
- Sporting CP vs. Kairat (3 p.m. ET)
Related Links
