Napoli are still without several players due to injury, which has led Massimiliano Allegri to summon a squad of just 19 players for Tuesday night’s Champions League clash away against Villarreal.

Napoli are hoping to get off the mark in the Champions League when they take on the Yellow Submarine away from home, following their 1-0 defeat at home against Arsenal in the first round of 2026-27 fixtures back in September.

NAPLES, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 09: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal FC during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between SSC Napoli and Arsenal FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 09, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

The positive news for the Partenopei is that Scott McTominay returned to action off the bench during a 3-0 win over Frosinone in Serie A on Saturday following his recent absence after having a minor procedure carried out on his heart. He has been named in the squad for Villarreal as well, but it remains to be seen whether he will be named in the starting line-up.

Kevin De Bruyne has also been on fine form since the international break and marked his return to Italy with a brace against Frosinone over the weekend. Curiously, the Belgian and McTominay have not started alongside each other at any stage of the 2026-27 season thus far.

Napoli still have several players unavailable through injury, though, including Alessandro Buongiorno, Mathias Olivera, Costantino Favasuli, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Antonio Vergara and Alisson Santos.

NAPLES, ITALY – OCTOBER 10: Kevin De Bruyne of SSC Napoli celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Frosinone Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on October 10, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Goalkeepers: Alex Meret, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Nikita Contini.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Official: Allegri confirms 19-man Napoli squad for Villarreal in Champions League" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Champions League metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

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