Napoli travel to Florence with Massimiliano Allegri asked once again to make a side work around absences rather than through them. The win over Bologna offered a necessary lift, but the Franchi visit comes with fresh uncertainty over Frank Anguissa and Leonardo Spinazzola, leaving the coach to balance continuity with a squad still waiting for several players to return.
Key takeaways
- Anguissa remains doubtful after renewed adductor discomfort and is increasingly unlikely to be included for Fiorentina-Napoli.
- Spinazzola missed Friday morning’s session with a minor right hamstring contracture, putting his place in question.
- Billy Gilmour and Stanislav Lobotka are expected to continue together in midfield.
- Scott McTominay, Alex Meret and Luca Marianucci are among those expected back only after the international break.
- Napoli want to carry the momentum of their Bologna victory into the break despite a crowded injury list.
Selection questions before the Franchi
Anguissa has again trained separately, splitting his work between the gym and the pitch. He had already missed Napoli’s Champions League opener against Arsenal because of an adductor issue, briefly returned to group training, and then felt discomfort again. Allegri will make a final decision before the squad leaves for Florence, although any approval would appear likely to mean a place among the substitutes rather than a starting role.
Spinazzola has become another late concern. Until Thursday, he had been competing with Mathías Olivera for the left-sided berth, having shared that role over recent matches. His absence from training, caused by a slight problem in the biceps femoris of his right thigh, means Napoli must now assess whether he can feature at all.
At right-back, Giovanni Di Lorenzo remains a fixed point. The question is who joins him on that flank: Matteo Politano is still under consideration, while Favasuli strengthened his case with his contribution against Bologna.
Without Alisson Santos, Noa Lang is in line to begin in attack. David Neres, however, has been building fitness and confidence and is pushing hard for a larger role, giving Allegri a decision ahead of a match that carries weight beyond one afternoon.
A midfield solution and a long recovery room
The likely midfield response to Anguissa’s absence is the Gilmour-Lobotka pairing. The two played together against Bologna and were used again against Arsenal, allowing Kevin De Bruyne to drop deeper during build-up phases or find spaces between the lines. It has become a recurring answer in Allegri’s 4-2-3-1, shaped by necessity as much as preference.
After the Bologna match, Allegri made clear that the team must fit the personnel available: “We adapt to the players.” With Anguissa unavailable, the two deeper playmakers offer the most established route forward.
The wider medical picture remains demanding. McTominay is recovering after surgery to resolve a benign arrhythmia, while Meret is treating a tear to the left thigh’s adductor longus. Marianucci also faces a post-break return following a high-grade medial collateral ligament injury.
- Alessandro Buongiorno, who underwent right-knee surgery, is targeting the end of November.
- Alisson Santos has around a month remaining as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
- Giovane is aiming for the beginning of October after an operation for an inguinal hernia.
Napoli therefore approach the break with a clear task: turn the Bologna result into a sequence, then use the pause to bring bodies back and restore greater balance to a group that has repeatedly had to adjust its plans in recent weeks.
