Napoli
and Arsenal
faced important injury concerns ahead of their Champions League opener at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday, September 9. Both teams entered the match with key players unavailable, although Napoli had the bigger problem in midfield.
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Scott McTominay
missed the game after undergoing a planned procedure to treat a mild, benign heart rhythm problem, while André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was ruled out with an adductor injury. Arsenal also had defensive concerns, with William Saliba
out with a back injury.
Cristhian Mosquera
remained out with a muscle problem, while Jurrien Timber
returned to the squad after his groin issue. The match kicked off at 8 pm BST, with Napoli looking to recover from two straight Serie A defeats and Arsenal seeking to continue their strong start to the season.
Napoli vs Arsenal Injury News: Napoli Missing Key Midfielders
The latest Napoli vs Arsenal injury news
confirmed that McTominay would miss the Champions League match after his successful heart procedure. Napoli said the Scotland
international would rest for about two weeks before returning to training. He is expected to return after the October international break.
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Anguissa also missed the game after suffering an adductor problem. Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed the midfielder was unavailable. "There will not be a change of system, absolutely not," Allegri said. "I've only got four midfielders, so three of them will start tomorrow."
Alessandro Buongiorno
, Giovane and Luca Marianucci
were also unavailable. David Neres
remained a doubt because of a knee problem, with Allegri saying the club would assess him on match day.
Kevin De Bruyne
was expected to make his first Napoli start after three substitute appearances. Billy Gilmour
and Stanislav Lobotka
were also in line to start in midfield, with Rasmus Højlund expected to lead the attack.
Arsenal Injury News: Saliba and Mosquera Miss Out
The Arsenal injury news centered on the defense. William Saliba remained out with a back injury and did not travel to Naples. Cristhian Mosquera also missed the match after suffering a muscle problem.
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Timber provided better Arsenal injury news. The Netherlands international
returned to the squad after missing the start of the season with a groin problem. Arsenal had managed his return carefully after his summer surgery.
With Saliba and Mosquera unavailable, Ezri Konsa
was expected to start alongside Gabriel Magalhães. Ben White
was set to play at right-back, while Riccardo Calafiori
and Piero Hincapié were options on the left.
Arsenal entered the Champions League match after beating Chelsea 2-1 and winning their opening three Premier League games. Napoli, meanwhile, had lost their previous two Serie A matches against Como
and Inter.
Napoli vs Arsenal Predicted Lineups and Team News
UEFA's predicted lineups had Napoli starting with Alex Meret
in goal, Giovanni Di Lorenzo
, Amir Rrahmani
, Rafa Marín and Leonardo Spinazzola
in defense. Lobotka, Gilmour and De Bruyne were expected in midfield, with David Neres, Højlund and Alisson Santos
in attack.
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Arsenal were expected to line up with David Raya
, White, Konsa, Gabriel and Calafiori in defense. Bruno Guimarães and Declan Rice
were the predicted midfield pairing, while Bukayo Saka
, Martin Ødegaard, Christos Tzolis
and Kai Havertz
completed the expected attack.
The Napoli vs Arsenal injury news therefore left both managers with selection issues, particularly in defense for Arsenal and midfield for Napoli.
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