Napoli Lose McTominay and Anguissa for Arsenal Clash
Napoli will be without Scott McTominay and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa for Wednesday’s Champions League visit of Arsenal, but Massimiliano Allegri has ruled out changing his 4-3-3 system.
Midfield options cut for Arsenal test
- McTominay had surgery on Tuesday to address an irregular heartbeat.
- Anguissa is also unavailable because of a physical problem.
- Allegri said Napoli have only four fit midfield options and confirmed that three will start at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Kevin De Bruyne, Billy Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka and Antonio Vergara are the four players competing for the three midfield places.
“There will be no system change,” Allegri said. “I have four midfielders available, so three will play tomorrow.”
Napoli seek European reset
The Serie A champions suffered a difficult Champions League campaign last term, ending 30th in the 36-team league phase and missing out on progression.
Allegri replaced Antonio Conte after that season and has endured an uneven domestic start. Napoli beat Genoa in their opening league match before losing successive games against Como and Inter Milan.
The coach believes the Arsenal tie offers a chance to reset in a separate competition, with 12 points identified as Napoli’s target to reach the next round of the new league-phase format.
“Europe brings motivation and adrenaline,” Allegri said. “We face the best sides and must show real technical quality. Without the ball, we have to defend much better collectively than we did against Como and Inter.”
Arsenal arrive with major pedigree
Arsenal finished second to Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League and arrive in Naples as Premier League champions.
Allegri praised Mikel Arteta’s defensive work, highlighting Arsenal’s ability to limit opposition chances and goals.
The Napoli boss knows the scale of the task from his own history in the competition. He guided Juventus to the 2015 and 2017 Champions League finals, losing to Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
“I was fortunate enough to reach two finals, but I lost both,” Allegri said.
