Rrahmani Returns, Napoli Lose Two

Massimiliano Allegri named a 20-man Napoli squad for the Serie A trip to Monza with one problem eased and another two still sitting on the team sheet in absentia.

Rrahmani returns after resuming full training with the first-team group, giving Napoli back an established centre-back option at a point in the season when defensive certainty is worth more than soothing words. The absences are Benoit Badiashile and Leonardo Spinazzola. Football Italia reported that Badiashile is facing about a month out with a rectus femoris injury, while Spinazzola misses the Monza match because of a minor thigh issue.

That leaves Napoli with six listed defenders in the squad: Sam Beukema, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Luca Marianucci, Rafa Marin, Mathias Olivera and Rrahmani. It is enough to field a back line, obviously, but squad lists tell you where a manager’s choices tighten. One return does not fully cancel out two losses, especially when the calendar starts asking for rotation rather than preference.

The selection lands in a noisier context than Napoli would have wanted. The club come into the Monza match after a 3-3 draw with Roma in which Allegri was sent off late on. Football Italia also reported that Allegri has received a two-match suspension and confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Napoli will drop their appeal against that sanction.

That matters because the coach’s influence now shifts from the touchline to preparation. Against Monza, Napoli are not just managing personnel; they are managing control. A team that conceded three against Roma now gets back one defender, loses two others, and goes into the match without its head coach in the technical area.

The squad otherwise includes a heavy midfield and forward group, with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay among the options, plus attackers including Rasmus Hojlund, Noa Lang, Lorenzo Lucca and Matteo Politano. Napoli still have enough to impose themselves. The more interesting question is whether they can do it with less fuss than the last time out.