Venice, Italy – Oct 17: Napoli coach Massimilado Allegri on the sidelines as Venezia host Napoli at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo.
Allegri says his squad must keep cool against Bodø/Glimt, stressing patience to dodge errors in the Champions League.
The clash begins at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium at 20:00 UK time (21:00 CEST).
Follow the live build‑up and action from this match and Roma‑Slovan Bratislava on our Liveblog.
Napoli sit in turmoil after back‑to‑back European defeats to Arsenal and Villarreal.
Their league woes deepen following a shocking 1‑0 loss to bottom‑placed Venezia on Saturday.
Allegri keen to keep Napoli calm
‘We must be technically sharp; they sit deep, low‑block, and we can’t afford sloppy moments. We trusted each other too much on Saturday, which cost us,’ Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
‘We should have reacted faster; Rrahmani and the others were late to cover the error,’ he added.
Goalkeeper Alisson Santos joins the injury list alongside Antonio Vergara, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli and Alessandro Buongiorno.
‘Improvement is possible. Anguissa has been available, Politano returned, and I doubt Vergara will feature Saturday as he hasn’t trained yet,’ Allegri said.
‘It’s a tough phase, but patience will reveal the squad’s quality. Small details are currently hurting us,’ he noted. For my money, Napoli still have the talent to bounce back.
Positive sign: midfielder André Frank Zambo Anguissa earns his first start since Sept 5, while Kevin De Bruyne is deployed as a playmaker, a role he dislikes.
‘Lobotka and Gilmour have plenty of international experience; Anguissa is back from a long layoff, played five minutes against Florence and got injured. I’ll start him and keep a sub in reserve,’ Allegri joked.
‘I don’t expect a repeat, but he isn’t fit for a full 90 minutes yet,’ he admitted.
Bodø/Glimt have a reputation as giant‑killers, famously ousting Inter in last season’s Champions League play‑offs.
They opened this campaign with a 5‑0 defeat at Bayern Munich before turning it around with a 1‑0 home win over Borussia Dortmund.
‘European matches differ from Serie A; organization and patience are vital, especially in the final 20‑25 minutes when games can flip. We saw that against Villarreal on Tuesday,’ Allegri explained.
‘We must play until the final whistle, keep the ball moving, sometimes cut out extra passes and be more direct. Precision, technique and the hunger for results are essential; nobody hands us anything,’ he asserted.
‘Seasonal slumps happen, but we must own the turnaround without anxiety, because haste breeds mistakes,’ Allegri warned.