Napoli face Avellino again as Allegri assesses Beukema and Neres

A second behind-closed-doors friendly at Castel Volturno gives the head coach one more look at his options before Frosinone visit the Maradona on 10 October, with a switch to a back three still on the table.

by Gennaro SanninoThursday 1 October, 22:09 CET· 2 hours ago

Massimiliano Allegri — Foto: Original: Quirinale / Derivative work: Danyele · Attribution

Napoli are back out at Castel Volturno on Friday 2 October for a second friendly in a matter of days against Alessandro Nesta's Avellino, following the first test at the Partenio on 26 September. The game is played behind closed doors.

This is not just a date filler. Head coach Allegri will use it to try out solutions ahead of 10 October, when Frosinone visit the Maradona for a game that needs to turn around Napoli's worst start in ten years — ninth place, 7 points from 5 games, and two unbeaten results in a row after the 3-2 at San Siro and the 1-1 in Florence.

The name under most scrutiny is Sam Beukema. The Dutch centre-back, signed in the summer for over €30m, has yet to play a single minute in five league games. The Avellino test is the clearest chance so far to get minutes into his legs and show Allegri the level of form he reached at Bologna.

Allegri is also waiting on signals from Badiashile, who looked short of sharpness in the 10 minutes he played at the end of Inter-Napoli, before the home side's comeback turned the game into a 3-2 defeat.

Up front, the test matters most for David Neres. The Brazilian has shaken off his muscle problems working at Castel Volturno during the break and, if he comes through unscathed, gives Allegri an extra attacking option for a side that is currently the least willing to dribble of any in Serie A, completing just 4.4 successful take-ons a game.

In the background sits the question of a formation change. It is not new — outlets have been split for days between a tactical reading and one that ties it to a squad left incomplete by the summer window — and the Castel Volturno test is the most direct chance yet to see whether Allegri will really move to a back three for the Frosinone game.

Whatever happens in the friendly, the real verdict comes on Saturday 10 October at 20:45 CET, against a side arriving as an awkward opponent — one that CASMS, the police body that grades security risk around fixtures, has already flagged as a match requiring attention for public order.