Allegri Squad Depleted Further as Meret and Santos Suffer UCL Injuries
SSC Napoli manager Max Allegri confirmed new injuries to goalkeeper Alex Meret and wide player Alisson Santos following their UEFA Champions League opener against Arsenal at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 9, 2026. Meret was withdrawn at half-time due to a left thigh adductor issue, while Santos limped off during the second half of the contest. The double blow worsens existing availability issues across the squad early in the 2026/27 season.
Deconstructing Santos and Meret Deficits for SSC Napoli
The loss of Meret forces SSC Napoli to rely on Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who made his first appearance under Allegri after replacing Meret for the second half against Arsenal. Santos’ injury compresses the team’s wide options, placing extra physical load on Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour, both of whom completed 94 minutes in their first starts of the campaign. The squad was already operating without Scott McTominay, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci, and Giovane.
Alex Meret
playerSerie A Workload Escalates for SSC Napoli Ahead of Bologna Match
Speaking to Amazon Prime Video Italia following the match, Allegri provided an immediate status assessment for both players.
“I think we’ll be without Alisson for a while. I’m not sure about Meret, we’ll have to see tomorrow what the tests say.”
SSC Napoli prepare for a swift return to domestic competition with an upcoming Serie A match against Bologna, where Milinkovic-Savic is aligned to start in goal.
