Højlund leads Napoli at Porto as Allegri is forced into a back three

Højlund is over the fever that kept him out of the match in Turin. He should start up front for Napoli against Porto at the Estádio do Dragão on Wednesday 4 November, with kick-off at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET). Either Giovane or Vergara will partner him, and Giovane is slightly ahead.

The probable line-up: Meret; Beukema, Rrahmani, Rafa Marín; Politano, Anguissa, Gilmour, McTominay, Lang; Giovane (Vergara), Højlund.

Gilmour plays as the holding midfielder in place of Lobotka, who is out with an ankle problem, with Anguissa and McTominay either side of him. Politano is the only natural wide player left and will play on the right. Lang takes the left.

Rrahmani and Milinković-Savić have both recovered, but the goalkeeper will not start. The tricky call is De Bruyne. His fitness will be assessed right up to kick-off, and the bench looks the most likely outcome. Napoli would miss him. He has created 10 chances from open play in this Champions League campaign, and after three matchdays only Lamine Yamal, with 11, has created more.

Di Lorenzo and Olivera are the latest names on an injury list that already includes Badiashile, Spinazzola, Buongiorno, Favasuli, Neres, Alisson Santos and Lobotka. Marianucci is unavailable because he is not on List A (the main UEFA squad list). Melnyk, the only name put forward to fill the gap out wide, is not eligible for List B either. When all four full-backs are out and the one alternative cannot even be registered, this is no longer about bad luck. It is about how the squad was built, and the people who built it have to answer for that.

Porto win everything, except in Europe

Farioli is expected to stick with a 4-3-3: Diogo Costa; Alberto Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Sanusi; Froholdt, Rosario, Gabri Veiga; Pepe, Aghehowa (André Silva), Borja Sainz. Midfielder Vasco Sousa and right winger William Gomes are out, and Pietuszewski is a doubt.

Porto have won all 10 of their league games, scoring 25 and conceding 4, and beat Estoril 4-0 on Sunday 1 November. In the Champions League, though, they have lost all three, most recently a narrow home defeat to PSV. They have already lost twice at the Dragão in this campaign. Porto have lost three home games in a row in the major European competitions only once before, in their first three home matches between 1956 and 1962. Farioli has not won in six European meetings with Serie A sides.

Napoli are 22nd with 3 points, all from the 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt. The top eight may already be out of reach, so the realistic target is at least a play-off place. This is the fifth European meeting with Porto. Napoli won both legs in the 1974-75 UEFA Cup, then lost 0-1 and drew 2-2 in the Europa League round of 16 in 2013-14. Michael Oliver referees, with Attwell and Dingert on VAR.

A win would give Napoli back-to-back Champions League wins for the first time since March 2023, when they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 and 3-0 in the round of 16. That says less about a milestone than about how little Napoli have won in Europe since.

In Turin, Napoli managed one shot on target to Juventus's 4. In the second half the attitude went before the legs did. On Tuesday 3 November Politano put it this way:

"We'll definitely get to eleven, and those will have to be enough."

They will be enough if those eleven play with the head that was missing at the Allianz Stadium. With wing-backs improvised at the last minute, against a Porto side still without a Champions League point, Napoli cannot afford another night without character in Europe.

After Porto, Lazio, top of the table, visit the Maradona on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET.