Watch Man City vs Napoli as Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund return to Manchester with the 2024-25 Serie A winners.
• Date: Thursday, 18 September 2025
• Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET
• Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
• TV & Streaming: TNT Sports / Discovery+ (UK), Paramount+ (USA), Stan Sport (Australia)
• Watch for free: Virgin Media Play (Ireland)
• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN risk-free
Manchester City made it as far as the knock-out phase play-offs in last season's Champions League, losing over two legs to Real Madrid.
The 2022-23 winners will get their 2025-26 campaign rolling with a very tricky visit from Italian champions Napoli, who won their fourth Scudetto last season thanks in large part to the goals of Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay.
FourFourTwo has all the details for fans who want to watch as Napoli's trio of ex-Manchester United players head for the Etihad along with a City legend.
Can I watch Man City vs Napoli for free?
Man City vs Napoli is one of the four Champions League matches that will be shown for free in Ireland this week on Virgin Media Two and via the browser-friendly Virgin Media Play streaming service.
Watch Man City vs Napoli from anywhere
Away from home when the game's on? A VPN will ensure you don't miss a minute.
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How to watch Man City vs Napoli in the UK?
Man City vs Napoli is one of this week's Champions League fixtures on TNT Sports and the Discovery+ streaming platform.
It's an 8:00pm kick-off and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2.
Watch Man City vs Napoli in the US
In the USA, Man City vs Napoli will be available for streaming on Paramount+ thanks to the official Champions League broadcaster, CBS.
How to watch Man City vs Napoli in Australia
Football fans in Australia can watch Man City vs Napoli live through Stan Sport.
See also ► Champions League TV guide
Man City vs Napoli: Champions League preview
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City might feel they have some unfinished business to handle in the Champions League this season.
Their extended run of bad form in the middle of the 2024-25 season put paid to their European hopes, adding the Champions League to the list of things they want to put right this year.
Their modest start in the Premier League has dampened the excitement but there are big positives to be found despite losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, not least the evident sharpness of striker Erling Haaland.
Haaland has five Premier League goals to his name already and the likes of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki getting off to a positive start at their new club.
Cherki quickly picked up an injury and City will also be without Omar Marmoush, Mateo Kovacic, Rayan Ait-Nouri and possibly John Stones when they face Napoli at the Etihad on Thursday.
Napoli have torn out of the traps at the start of the Serie A season, kicking off their title defence with three wins out of three. Of their six league goals, four were scored by former Man City or Man Utd players.
De Bruyne scored in Napoli's matches against Sassuolo and Fiorentina. The Belgian international reached iconic status at City, playing more than 420 competitive games and winning a veritable boatload of major trophies.
It's typical of the football gods that De Bruyne should return to face City at the very first opportunity, and he'll be bringing a couple of rejuvenated ex-rivals with him.
McTominay was named as Serie A's Most Valuable Player last season and Rasmus Hojlund scored a fabulous goal past David De Gea on Saturday with Romelu Lukaku injured.
Napoli's challenge under Antonio Conte is a significant one. The 1988-89 UEFA Cup winners have the fourth Serie A title they craved but are yet to translate years of competitiveness into a Champions League run beyond the last eight.
FourFourTwo's prediction
Man City 2-2 Napoli
Napoli have started the season on fire but home advantage is a factor on big European nights. This is too close to call but we're hopeful of a thriller.
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