De Bruyne on the bench as Lucca and Giovane start against Bodø/Glimt

Allegri has picked a side that asks for a response from players who have offered little so far. It comes three days after Napoli failed to score at Venezia's Penzo stadium.

Buongiorno is not in the starting XI or on the bench. This defence is the one the coach has available, not the one he would have drawn up in the summer.

Running, not invention

Gilmour, Lobotka and McTominay make up the midfield. Anguissa misses out after a relapse that followed his return from injury.

This midfield is built to run and keep the ball, not to create. De Bruyne starts on the bench. With supporters already protesting about the team's attitude and results, leaving him out of the starting XI is a big call however you read it. Allegri takes responsibility for it, as he does for everything else.

Lucca and Giovane up front

Lucca and Giovane lead the attack. Højlund and Politano are substitutes, along with Lang. Neres is not in the squad, another setback from an injury list that never seems to shrink.

Alisson Santos is also named among the substitutes, even though tests on Tuesday 20 October at the Pineta Grande Hospital found a medium-grade strain in his left hamstring. He is on the team sheet. Whether he can actually play is another matter.

What the line-up says

The message is simple. The coach wants legs and compactness, and he is relying on Lucca and Giovane to keep up front a team that did not score in Venice.

Napoli have lost three of their last four competitive matches, and last season's Champions League league phase is still fresh in everyone's mind. At the Maradona, a performance that sits back and manages the game will not be enough. Napoli need to play the match to the end. The pitch will decide the rest.