Napoli return to European duty with a need for substance as well as response. Having put a league victory behind them, Massimiliano Allegri’s side travel to Villarreal for their second Champions League group fixture, looking to recover from the defeat against Arsenal at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
More than 1,600 Napoli supporters have made the trip to the Estadio de la Cerámica in Vila-real, where the visitors will look to turn encouragement into their first points of the campaign. Allegri has framed the evening simply: Napoli must “start collecting points”, with Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay again central to the side’s ambitions.
The Italian coach has selected a 3-5-2, with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in goal behind Rafa Marín, Amir Rrahmani and Benoît Badiashile. Matteo Politano and Giovanni Di Lorenzo are deployed on the flanks, while Billy Gilmour joins De Bruyne and McTominay in midfield. Rasmus Hojlund starts in attack alongside Giovane.
Villarreal, coached by Iñigo Pérez, begin with a 4-4-2. Junior starts between the posts, protected by a defence featuring Mourino, Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga and Carlos Romero. Comesana, Pape Gueye, Saliba and Moleiro form the midfield line, with Gerard and Mikautadze chosen up front.
The occasion also comes with an unwelcome absence for the home club. Goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi will not be available after an armed robbery at his home near Valencia, where he was with his wife and their two children. Nobody was injured, but Villarreal said the player had been badly shaken by the incident.
German referee Daniel Siebert takes charge, a name that has brought difficult memories for Napoli. He previously oversaw their 2-1 win over Granada in the 2020-21 Europa League round of 32 second leg, during Gennaro Gattuso’s time in charge. Napoli won that night, but their result could not overturn the 2-0 defeat from the first leg and they were eliminated.
At La Cerámica, however, Napoli have a more immediate task: to give their Champions League campaign direction after Arsenal and carry the renewed confidence from Sunday’s league win into a demanding Spanish away night.
