Villarreal host Napoli in Champions League matchday two on Tuesday evening
Napoli, beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in their opener, travel to La Cerámica on Tuesday, 13 October, at 21:00 still seeking their first points of the league phase. Villarreal, who lost 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund, are also still looking for their first Champions League win.
Two sides still waiting for their first points
Napoli arrive in Spain after a 3-0 home win over Frosinone in Serie A, but their Champions League start ended in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Maradona. Villarreal, coached by Iñigo Pérez, also have no win in Europe this season, having lost 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund in matchday one, where two late goals from Serhou Guirassy decided the game. They then lost 1-0 at Real Madrid at the weekend, and Fanpage reports they sit 11th in La Liga with 8 points from eight matches. El Mundo notes that Villarreal won none of their eight Champions League matches last season. Allegri knows the difficulty of the trip and said the team must start collecting points:
Playing here at Villarreal is always complicated, and especially in a Champions League match. We need an excellent performance and we must go for the result, because it is necessary to start picking up points.
Team news and predicted lineups
Allegri said Milinkovic-Savic will start in goal because Meret returned from an injury on Saturday, and that McTominay is feeling better and will probably start. He also said Gilmour is the favourite to start ahead of Lobotka, while Neres and Badiashile, who had been out for months, are back in training. Fanpage lists Olivera, Favasuli, Buongiorno, Alisson Santos, Anguissa and Vergara as still unavailable, while Allegri said Anguissa, Olivera and Alisson Santos would be available from Wednesday. Europa Press reports that Villarreal are without Tajon Buchanan, who has a hamstring strain, and Nicolas Pépé, who has had eye surgery. The outlets do not agree on the shapes: Adnkronos has Villarreal in a 4-4-2 and Napoli in a 4-2-3-1, while Fanpage has Napoli in a 3-5-2 and Villarreal in a 4-2-3-1.
Pérez stressed the mental side at his press conference on Sunday:
I think the mental side is always key, but tomorrow is fundamental.
Key players to watch
Kevin De Bruyne scored twice against Frosinone and is expected to be one of Napoli's main attacking options, according to El Mundo. Alongside him, Noa Lang and Matteo Politano offer width, and Rasmus Hojlund leads the line. For Villarreal, Europa Press reports that Ayoze Pérez and George Mikautadze are expected to share the attack, with Ilias Akhomach and Alberto Moleiro on the flanks and Nathan Saliba and Pape Gueye in midfield. El Mundo adds that the absences of Nicolas Pepe and Tajon Buchanan could open the door to young players Nizar El Jmili and Joselillo Gaitán.
Kickoff and where to watch
The match is scheduled for 21:00 at La Cerámica on Tuesday, 13 October. In Italy it is broadcast live on Sky Sport and streamed on the SkyGo app and NOW. In Spain, El Mundo reports it will be shown on Movistar Plus, on its M+ Liga de Campeones and M+ Liga de Campeones 4 channels.
- Allegri and Iñigo Pérez speak to the press ahead of the match
- Kickoff at La Cerámica in Villarreal
What is at stake
Allegri has set the aim of getting through the first round and remaining in the competition in March. Fanpage lists the season's targets as a top-four finish in Serie A and at least reaching the playoffs for the last 16 in Europe. For Villarreal, Europa Press notes that a large part of their options this season depend on results at home, where they still have to host Paris Saint-Germain, Sabah Baku and Manchester United.
