Napoli Faces Injury Crisis After Arsenal Defeat

Napoli’s Champions League opener against Arsenal was supposed to set the tone for their European campaign. Instead, a tight 1-0 defeat at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night has left more than just a mark on the scoreboard.

Martin Odegaard’s 75th-minute strike decided the game, but the real damage for Napoli came earlier, with two key players forced off and a growing injury list stretching the squad at the very start of the season.

Meret and Alisson sidelined

On Thursday, the club confirmed the extent of the injuries suffered by goalkeeper Alex Meret and attacker Alisson Santos during the loss to Arsenal.

Meret has sustained a low-grade injury to the adductor in his left thigh, while Alisson has picked up a medium-grade hamstring injury. Both blows arrived in the first Champions League outing of the 2026-27 campaign, compounding the frustration of a narrow home defeat.

Napoli have not put a precise timeline on either player’s return. The club’s medical staff will monitor their progress over the coming days, with more clarity expected as the international calendar approaches. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, there is optimism inside the camp that the bulk of these fitness issues could ease by the end of the September-October international break.

For now, though, Napoli must plan for several matches without their first-choice goalkeeper and one of their main attacking options.

Anguissa back in the frame

There was at least one positive note in the club’s medical update.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has returned to training and is back in contention for the weekend’s league fixture. His presence in midfield has been badly missed, and his return offers a timely injection of physicality and experience for a side suddenly stretched in several areas of the pitch.

With Meret and Alisson out, Anguissa’s availability becomes even more significant as Napoli look to stabilise performances and results after a stuttering start in Europe.

McTominay and others target October return

The injuries to Meret and Alisson arrive on top of an already concerning list of absentees.

Scott McTominay, the 2024-25 Serie A MVP, remains sidelined as he recovers from a minor heart procedure on a benign arrhythmia. Napoli expect him to be back in contention after the upcoming international break, a potential game-changer in the heart of midfield once he is fully cleared to return.

Defensive pair Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci are also still working their way back from recent injuries, as is forward Giovane. All three are targeting a return to action in October, when Napoli’s schedule begins to tighten and rotation becomes essential.

For now, the picture is clear: a bruising Champions League night has left Napoli with more questions than answers, and a squad that must navigate the next few weeks without several of its pillars. How they survive this spell could define the shape of their season.