Napoli confirm extent of Meret and Alisson injuries after 1-0 Arsenal defeat

NAPLES, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 09: Alex Meret of SSC Napoli 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)

Napoli have confirmed the exact extent of the injuries suffered by goalkeeper Alex Meret and attacker Alisson Santos during Wednesday evening’s 1-0 loss against Arsenal in the Champions League and have announced that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is back in training and in contention to feature over the weekend. 

Latest updates on Napoli injuries: Meret and Alisson out, Anguissa in

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Napoli were defeated 1-0 by Arsenal courtesy of a 75th-minute Martin Odegaard strike at the Stadio Maradona on Wednesday evening, and to rub salt in the wounds, Allegri also lost his first-choice goalkeeper and one of his key attackers midway through their first Champions League game of the 2026-27 campaign. 

The club has since confirmed in an official statement that Meret has suffered a low-grade injury to the adductor in his left thigh and that Alisson has suffered a medium-grade injury to his hamstring. 

Exact recovery times have not yet been established, although according to Gianluca Di Marzio, there is hope that Napoli’s growing injury list will clear up by the end of the September-October international break. 

The Partenopei are currently without 2024-25 Serie A MVP Scott McTominay, who is recovering after a minor heart procedure on a benign arrhythmia and is also due to be back in contention after the upcoming international break. 

Defenders Alessandro Buongiorno and Luca Marianucci are also still recovering from their recent injuries, as is forward Giovane, but again, they are hoping to return to action in October. 

More encouraging for Allegri and his staff is the fact that Anguissa returned to training with the first-team group on Thursday. The Cameroon international was not fit enough to feature against Arsenal on Wednesday, but is now hoping to be involved when Napoli take on Bologna at home in Serie A this weekend.