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It will be an emotional match for both Manchester City fans and Kevin De Bruyne, who makes his first official comeback at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday when Napoli visit the team coached by Pep Guardiola. The Azzurri signed De Bruyne in the summer of 2025 after the Belgian star parted ways with the Citizens and didn't agree on a new deal after nine years in Manchester, where he became one of the legends of the team that, among all the trophies, also won the treble in 2023. In the first game of the European campaign, Napoli will immediately face Manchester City in one of the most anticipated matches of the league phase. Here's what you need to know: 

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How to watch Manchester City vs. Napoli, odds

  • Date: Thursday, Sep. 18 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: Etihad Stadium -- Manchester, England 
  • Live stream: Paramount+
  • Odds: Man City -157; Draw +291; Napoli +394

After his long stint with Manchester City came to an end, De Bruyne quickly made his way to Napoli in an ambitious move for the reigning Serie A champions, scoring two goals in the opening three matches of the season, including the one in the last match against Fiorentina. It will be an incredible moment for the Belgian player, who is set to receive an homage from his former fans in Manchester. 

In that time, the Belgian playmaker made more than 400 appearances and helped Guardiola's squad win 19 major trophies across an unforgettable decade. Earlier this year, Man City's chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarark revealed that the club had commissioned a statue to be made in honor of De Bruyne that would be situated outside the Etihad. 

Guardiola also spoke about the comeback of the Belgian star: "Of course, it's nice for him to come back. I'm excited to see him after the game and I'm not surprised on his impact at Napoli. He plays at that level, absolutely quick, the players at that level don't need to adapt. He's unique."

At the same time, Thursday's match will be the first UCL one for Gianluigi Donnarumma as the Italian goalkeeper made his debut in the 3-0 win against Manchester United over the weekend. Donnarumma spoke ahead of the Napoli match in the prematch press conference and said, "It feels like I've been here for many years the way they've all welcomed me. I'm really proud of that -- the attitude of a team has to be that, it has to be like a family, and when a teammate saves a goal, you all have to celebrate like it's a goal scored by the team. That's important for me. We have to be united on and away from the pitch. It was a huge thing, the result against United, for us to go higher and higher."

Predicted lineups

Manchester City XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol; Rodri; Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland.

Napoli: Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Sam Beukema, Alessandro Buongiorno, Leonardo Spinazzola; Stanislav Lobotka; Matteo Politano, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay; Rasmus Hoejlund.

Prediction 

Napoli are confident after a solid start to the season in the Italian Serie A, but it won't be easy against Pep Guardiola's side. Pick: Manchester City 1, Napoli 1. 

How to watch Champions League

The opening round of league phase fixtures takes place across three days – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – and all of it will be available to watch on Paramount+, with select additional coverage on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network. Pre-match coverage starts at 12 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network each day before select matches air at 12:45 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET, with post-match coverage transitioning to Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network. The Golazo Show will be free on CBS Sports Golazo Network for Matchday 1, while coverage concludes on CBS Sports Golazo Network with new editions of The Champions Club, which will be simulcast on YouTube, and Scoreline.