Neres targets Lazio return as Napoli injury list reaches seven

David Neres should be the first Napoli player back from injury, and the date is set. He is aiming for Napoli-Lazio at the Maradona on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET).

As of Saturday 31 October, seven players are out. Another injury crisis at Napoli is hardly news by now: there have been more than 30 diagnoses this season. What is new is that there are now dates, area by area.

Who returns and when

Up front, Alisson Santos is missing along with Neres. The number 27 relapsed in Venice and will be back after the international break. Favasuli also returns after the break, having picked up a physical problem while on international duty. He is a utility player, which is useful to a squad this short of bodies.

At the back, the timescales are longer. Badiashile is due back between the end of November and early December. Spinazzola could make the Lazio game; if not, he too will return after the break.

Lobotka was stretchered off at Monza after 17 minutes. The guidance for the holding midfielder is late December, although the accounts of how long his left ankle will take still do not match. Buongiorno, who had surgery on his meniscus, will be back in January 2027.

Put together, the list says one thing clearly. In the league and the Champions League, Napoli will have to get at least as far as the international break without much of their depth.

They go to Turin with Rrahmani a doubt after taking a blow to the sternum at Monza. If he does not recover, Marianucci plays alongside Rafa Marín, leaving Beukema as the only centre-back option on the bench. Napoli have gone three games unbeaten and sit seventh on 14 points, level with Juventus. It is a direct clash for position, and the squad is thinnest exactly where it matters most.

The questions

The detail that troubles us most is Alisson Santos's relapse. A relapse is not just another injury. It is a comeback that did not hold. In a season with more than 30 diagnoses, someone has to ask how recoveries are being managed, and that is a question for the staff, not for bad luck.

There is a contradiction with Neres too. Napoli are counting on him for Lazio while the club has listened to offers of around €20m. It is fair to ask whether he is being brought back to play or to be put in the shop window.

For Allegri, the return dates mean more attacking options when the run of closely packed fixtures resumes after the break. Until then, Juventus, Porto and Lazio have to be faced with what is available. The Maradona will be the first test of whether Neres's date holds, on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET.