SSC Napoli travels to face Monza at the U-Power Stadium on Wednesday with a depleted squad missing six players, including three defenders, as Max Allegri serves a touchline ban. Sportup reported that Napoli enters the fixture seeking its first away victory in two months, currently sitting 10th in the standings with 11 points after road defeats against Villarreal and Venezia.

Napoli Faces Defensive Crisis After Six-Goal Week

Napoli arrives in Lombardy following a high-scoring week that produced seven goals across two matches but exposed significant defensive vulnerabilities. The Partenopei defeated Bodø/Glimt 4–3 in the UEFA Champions League before conceding a lead to draw 3–3 with Roma at home on Saturday. Scott McTominay scored twice in both fixtures, while Kevin De Bruyne leads the club’s domestic scoring charts with three league goals.

Max Allegri will be absent from the bench after receiving a red card for dissent at the final whistle against Roma. Compounding the team’s tactical challenges, Napoli remains without central defender Benoît Badiashile due to a muscle injury that is expected to sideline him for upcoming matches against Porto and Juventus. Alessandro Buongiorno is unavailable with a knee issue, and Leonardo Spinazzola is out with a thigh problem.

The club’s attacking and midfield depth has also taken a hit. Forwards David Neres and Alisson Santos are sidelined with thigh injuries alongside midfielder Costantino Favasuli. In response to the defensive shortage, Amir Rrahmani returns to the center-back pairing alongside Rafa Marin following a bout of illness.

Monza Relies on In-Form Gustavo Varela Under Ivan Jurić

Monza enters Wednesday’s fixture occupying 15th place with seven points under manager Ivan Jurić, whose tenure began with inconsistent results before steadying. The Biancorossi advanced to the Coppa Italia round of 16 and secured two wins from their last four league outings, highlighted by a 4–0 victory over Cagliari on Monday, though followed by a 3–2 defeat to Torino on Friday.

Gustavo Varela anchors the Monza attack, sharing the league’s top-scorer mantle with seven goals this season. Varela scored twice against Cagliari and added an equalizer shortly after halftime against Torino. His current tally puts him within reach of the single-season top-flight scoring record for Monza set by Andrea Colpani, who netted eight goals during the 2023–24 campaign.

Jurić’s squad faces its own fitness concerns ahead of the midweek clash. On-loan Roma defender Jan Ziolkowski is sidelined with a foot injury, captain Matteo Pessina remains unavailable, and defender Yvan Maye is doubtful due to physical fatigue.

Giovanni Ayroldi Referees Wednesday Match at U-Power Stadium

Referee Giovanni Ayroldi takes charge of the Wednesday night fixture at the 17,102-capacity U-Power Stadium. Across 149 career matches, Ayroldi has issued 823 yellow cards and 34 red cards, averaging approximately 5.5 bookings per match and one expulsion every four to five games. Kickoff is scheduled for 20:45, with clear skies and temperatures hovering around 12 degrees Celsius expected at the venue.

When these sides last met at the U-Power Stadium in April 2025, McTominay scored the only goal of the match to secure a victory for the visitors. Wednesday’s kickoff marks the continuation of Napoli’s search for domestic away momentum against a Monza side that has collected six of its possible nine home points.