The Gunners travel to Naples looking to clinch a place in the knock-out stages of the Champions League, knowing that a draw will see them through in top spot, and only a 3-goal deficit can see Arsenal relegated to the depths of the Europa League.
Following on from victories in Dortmund and Munich, the Arsenal players should have the belief to see this one out; however, the Stadio San Paolo and its notorious fans will be no easy place to get a result from.
Decisive game
Wenger has called the Napoli game a decisive test and believes that his players will not become complacent. Arsenal are in the unusual position of having 12 points in Group F and still not being qualified, and as such the players need to make sure they get over the final hurdle to ensure qualification.
"I see it as another game we want to win, and that is the only way we can approach the game," Wenger said.
"For me the most important thing is to qualify. If we can finish top, it is even better."
As Arsenal enter a crucial, busy festive period, with 6 games over the next 22 days, Wenger could be forgiven for rotating his squad, especially considering the Man City game at the weekend, followed by Chelsea at home.
However, Wenger responded:
“We can’t afford to rest players. I rotate a little bit sometimes, never more than two or three because stability is important. Overall, we have no major sign of fatigue medically.”
Tough Trip
The Stadio San Paolo and the Napoli fans could be the one real threat to Arsenal’s qualification. It is a stadium which rivals any other stadium in Europe for atmosphere, and houses the notorious Napoli fans, including the Napoli Ultras.
The 700 Arsenal fans who have travelled to Naples have been handed information sheets and been told to not venture outside the hotel unaccompanied for risk of being attacked, and will be bussed directly from the hotel to the stadium.
This follows on from numerous incidents involving Napoli fans, which include smashing up and attacking people at a pie shop when they visited the Emirates, and clashing with Marseille fans when the French side travelled to Italy earlier in the campaign.
The boss, however, does not believe this will affect the players on the pitch.
"That is part of the big games, we know how to deal with that because we have that everywhere in Europe," Wenger said.
"When you go from Fenerbahce to Dortmund, you are used to these kind of atmospheres."
If the boss is right, then the main threat from Napoli could be our reported summer target, Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, who has been lethal for the Italian’s this year.
If the Gunner’s can keep his attacking potency at bay, and overcome the fervour atmosphere In Naples, it could end up being another classic European away night for Arsenal.
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