Napoli face Juventus without Allegri and Lobotka

The head coach is suspended and the midfielder is injured as Napoli, seventh with 14 points, travel to Turin for a 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET) kick-off on Sunday 1 November.

by Gennaro SanninoSunday 1 November, 18:34 CET· 2 hours ago

McTominay con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: store.sscnapoli.it

Napoli go to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday 1 November without head coach Allegri, who is suspended. He returns to the touchline for the game against Lazio.

The timing matters. Part of the fanbase is openly debating Allegri and the defence this week, and Napoli lose their coach for a match against a fellow top-level opponent. The 4-1 win at Monza on Wednesday 28 October gave Napoli three unbeaten league games in a row, but the table still says Napoli need an answer on Sunday night.

The injured

Among the players, the biggest loss is Lobotka. He has a contusion and sprain of the left ankle, with no return date, and is out of the Juventus game.

Spinazzola is in the treatment room and unavailable. Buongiorno is also out, with a return expected in January 2027. Neres has a low-grade tear of the semimembranosus, a hamstring muscle in the right thigh.

For a team trying to build a more solid defence, these absences at this stage of the season are a real problem.

A short squad

There is some good news. Rrahmani and Anguissa, who were hit by flu, are in the 25-man squad.

Six Primavera (youth team) players travelled with the squad for the trips to Turin and Porto: Pereyra, Baridò, Chiummariello, Melnyk, Lieto and Pugliese.

The selection points to a thin squad and a few players whose fitness has yet to be checked. Against Juventus, with a draw suiting neither side, what happens on the pitch will count for more than any team list.