Napoli Faces Injury Crisis After Arsenal Defeat
Napoli’s Champions League opener against Arsenal delivered more than just a narrow defeat. It ripped a hole in their squad.
A 75th-minute strike from Martin Odegaard decided the night at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Arsenal edging a 1-0 win on Wednesday. For Napoli, though, the real damage came earlier, as Alex Meret and Alisson Santos both limped out of the game, turning an already complicated start to the 2026-27 campaign into something far more delicate.
Double injury blow confirmed
On Thursday, the club put numbers and medical terms to what everyone in the stadium feared.
In an official statement, Napoli confirmed that Meret has suffered a low-grade injury to the adductor in his left thigh. Alisson, one of the key attacking options in this new-look side, has sustained a medium-grade hamstring injury.
The club has not set specific recovery dates for either player. There is, however, a clear internal hope: that both will be back in contention by the end of the September-October international break, a timeline echoed by Gianluca Di Marzio.
Until then, Napoli must improvise. Losing the first-choice goalkeeper and an important forward in the very first Champions League fixture is a harsh twist for a side already walking a tightrope with fitness issues.
Anguissa back in the mix
There was at least one shaft of light through the gloom.
Napoli also confirmed that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has returned to training and is now in contention to feature this weekend. His presence in midfield brings experience, physicality and a measure of calm to a squad that badly needs all three.
With Anguissa available again, the coaching staff regain a vital piece in the centre of the pitch at a time when the spine of the team has been badly shaken.
McTominay and a growing injury list
The Meret and Alisson setbacks arrive on top of an already significant absentee: 2024-25 Serie A MVP Scott McTominay.
The Scottish midfielder is currently sidelined as he recovers from a minor heart procedure to treat a benign arrhythmia. Napoli expect him, too, to be back in the frame after the upcoming international break, but until then they must do without the man who drove so much of their domestic success last season.
The defensive line is also stretched. Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci remain out as they continue their own recoveries from recent injuries, limiting options at the back. Up front, forward Giovane is still working his way back, with October pencilled in as a realistic return window for the trio.
So Napoli move into a crucial early stretch of the season with their Champions League campaign already under strain and key figures scattered across the treatment room. Anguissa’s return helps. The calendar will not.
