Pepe Reina
Reuters

Pepe Reina has labelled Napoli's Champions League encounter against Arsenal on Tuesday as a special occasion for him.

The Spain international, who spent eight years at Liverpool, joined the Serie A outfit in the summer on a season-long loan, after being deemed surplus to requirements at Anfield by Reds boss Brendan Rodgers.

Reina admitted Arsenal showed an interest in signing him earlier but insisted he is now focused on achieving success with Napoli. The 31-year-old will face the Gunners at the Emirates tonight and declared it will be an important match in his career.

"The interest of Arsenal in my services? Now I think only of Napoli. But to come back to England with Napoli against Arsenal in London is special," Reina pointed out.

Napoli are currently second in the Serie A and also beat Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in their opening tie in the Champions League. They remain unbeaten this season, while Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League and have now won all of their last nine matches.

"Arsenal are top of the Premier League but we are second in Serie A, and it looks like developing into a big season for us. There is no clear favourite in this game. We're very confident but it's a tough group and an away point would mean a very positive result for us," the goalkeeper added.

Meanwhile, Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis insists his club will play without fear when they take on the Gunners. Both sides had met in Emirates Cup during pre-season, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.

"It's very tough, because the Gunners are very, very strong. We met them last August, but today will be a different game. We don't play with fear. We play, we just enjoy and I hope it will be a very good match for the supporters," De Laurentiis stressed.

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