Napoli travel to Villarreal knowing that their second Champions League night cannot be treated as an isolated European interruption. After losing their opening fixture to Arsenal at the Maradona, Massimiliano Allegri’s side need a result at the Estadio de la Ceramica to give their campaign substance before attention turns back to Serie A.
The decision
Allegri has made clear that Napoli’s immediate aim is to collect points in Spain, with qualification and a place in the competition in March the wider target. Villarreal, he warned, have regained their balance and remain difficult opponents, as they also showed against Real Madrid.
The coach will again work around a squad still emerging from a long injury list. Frank Anguissa, Mathias Olivera and Alisson Santos are due back in group training on Wednesday, while several others are only beginning to recover match fitness. David Neres and Benoit Badiashile have each returned from seven months out, while Giovane had been absent for two months.
Scott McTominay is closer to starting after two months without football, although Allegri planned a final assessment on the morning of the match. Kevin De Bruyne, who arrived on 5 August, is building his condition, but Allegri resisted presenting the pair as an automatic midfield partnership. Stanislav Lobotka and Billy Gilmour remain important options, with Gilmour currently in contention to start after being rested at the weekend following international duty.
Allegri’s broader message was that selection will be shaped by availability, individual qualities and the demands of each game rather than a fixed formation. He again played down the value of reducing a match to a choice between three or four defenders, arguing that such labels do not capture how a side actually plays.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic will start in goal, while Alex Meret continues his return from injury. Allegri said the two goalkeepers offer different characteristics and that he is satisfied with both.
In attack, the coach defended Lorenzo Lucca, describing him as a player in whom Napoli have invested and one who has already shown his qualities at Udinese. Allegri believes the forward’s work for the team and his approach are valuable, and expects goals and confidence to follow. Lucca and Rasmus Hojlund remain Napoli’s recognised strikers; using Neres or Giovane centrally would be an emergency solution. Giovane, brought into the Champions League list in place of the longer-term absentee Favasuli, impressed in his half-hour against Frosinone with an assist.
Napoli’s coach expects a very different contest from the weekend. Villarreal are less likely than Frosinone to stretch the game open, he said, and possess a strong tactical structure, dangerous wide players in one-versus-one situations and Veiga’s ability to begin moves from central areas. Napoli will need order, concentration and a clean technical performance in a stadium where every error can be exposed.
Rafa Marin returns to a familiar place. The defender spent last season on loan at Villarreal, helping the club finish third in La Liga, before returning to Naples in June. He described that spell as an important period of development and said he has come back to Napoli more mature and better prepared.
For Marin, the reunion carries affection but no room for sentiment. Villarreal have pace at both ends of the pitch and are dangerous on transitions, he said, so Napoli must be attentive in their defensive cover and in the duels. He knows several players there and expects the Spanish side to improve after an unconvincing start to the Liga season, particularly under their new coach, Inigo Perez. Villarreal’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund did not alter his view: they played well, attacked and made clear that Napoli face a demanding occasion.
The defender also backed De Bruyne’s influence, saying the squad have great trust in the Belgian when he has the ball. Marin’s own preference is simpler: whether Napoli use three or four at the back matters less than helping the side win. He feels comfortable under Allegri, whose instructions, he said, allow him to show his best qualities.
Napoli have found encouragement in their recent work, but Allegri urged the club to keep its balance amid the intensity of the city. The passion around Napoli should become energy for the players, he said, not a reason to lose perspective. Recovering bodies, managing rotations and choosing the right side for each occasion are now part of the same task.
Sunday’s picture
Saturday’s 3-0 Serie A win over Frosinone offered a positive domestic marker, but Allegri does not consider it a template for Villarreal. The president enjoyed what he saw against the Ciociari, the coach noted, yet the Champions League match will demand a different response.
After Spain, Napoli will return to their league programme. Allegri’s hope is that a fuller squad will eventually give him the choice to restore players steadily rather than force them back too soon. For a team still assembling its strongest rhythm, the trip to Villarreal is therefore about more than a first European win: it is an early test of the equilibrium Napoli want to carry through the season.
