Napoli Faces Setbacks After Arsenal Defeat: Meret and Alisson Injured
Napoli’s Champions League opener against Arsenal took more than three points off the table. It stripped Walter Mazzarri’s side of their No. 1 goalkeeper and a key attacking weapon on a night that already felt bruising.
Martin Odegaard’s 75th‑minute strike settled a tight contest at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, handing Arsenal a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Long before the final whistle, though, Napoli’s thoughts had already drifted from the scoreboard to the treatment room.
Meret and Alisson injuries confirmed
On Thursday, the club released the medical bulletin everyone in Naples had been dreading.
Alex Meret has sustained a low‑grade injury to the adductor in his left thigh. Alisson Santos, who had started the clash in attack, has suffered a medium‑grade hamstring injury. Both were forced off during the game, compounding the frustration of losing their first Champions League fixture of the 2026-27 campaign.
Napoli have not put a date on either player’s return. The club is proceeding cautiously, with exact recovery times still to be defined. There is, however, a sliver of optimism around the broader picture.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli hope that the bulk of their injury problems will ease by the end of the September–October international break. That window is fast becoming a crucial reset point for a squad that has been stretched from the very start of the season.
Anguissa back in the frame
There was at least one positive line in the medical update.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is back in full training and is in contention to feature this weekend. His return offers a badly needed boost to the midfield, both in terms of physical presence and experience, at a time when Mazzarri’s options are thinning across the pitch.
With Meret out, the goalkeeping pecking order will be tested. With Alisson sidelined, the attacking rotation shrinks again. Anguissa’s availability doesn’t solve everything, but it changes the look and balance of the side ahead of a demanding domestic run.
McTominay and defensive absences
Napoli’s problems do not end there.
Scott McTominay, the 2024-25 Serie A MVP, remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from a minor heart procedure on a benign arrhythmia. The Scottish midfielder is not expected to feature before the international break, but the plan is for him to rejoin the squad and be back in contention once club football resumes.
At the back, Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci are still working their way back from recent injuries, depriving Napoli of depth and continuity in defence. Further forward, Giovane is also sidelined, with all three targeting a return to action in October.
So Napoli leave their opening Champions League night with no points, two fresh injuries, and one key midfielder finally back on the grass. The next few weeks will reveal whether this is just an early‑season storm, or the first sign that their European campaign will be played on a tightrope.
