Pressure Builds on Allegri and Tedesco as Napoli Hosts Bologna
The season is barely underway, but the air around the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona already feels heavy.
Massimiliano Allegri and Domenico Tedesco walk into Sunday night’s Serie A meeting between Napoli and Bologna knowing the table, the form guide and the noise around them are all starting to bite. One sits 12th, the other 16th. Neither can afford another misstep.
The twist? Viewers in the UK can watch the tension play out for free on the BBC.
Allegri under early scrutiny
Allegri’s Napoli reign started with a clean, convincing 2-0 win away at Genoa on the opening weekend. It looked like the launchpad he needed.
Since then, the slide has been sharp.
Three defeats on the bounce across Serie A and the Champions League – against Como, Inter and Arsenal – have dragged Napoli down the standings and raised the volume of the questions around the new coach. The Partenopei kick off in mid-table, 12th, a position that never sits comfortably in this city.
The Champions League loss to Arsenal in Naples also left scars on the squad. Alisson Santos came off injured in that game and will not feature here. Goalkeeper Alex Meret was also forced off and will be replaced by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic between the posts.
There is at least one constant for Allegri: Kevin De Bruyne. With Scott McTominay sidelined until after the international break, the Belgian is expected to continue as the heartbeat of the midfield. Billy Gilmour should join him and Stanislav Lobotka in a three that will be asked to control the game and feed a front line under pressure to deliver.
Noa Lang, left out for disciplinary reasons against Arsenal, is set to come back into the starting XI. All eyes will be on his response. Antonio Vergara is also tipped to feature at some stage, while Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has returned to training and could become an option again in the coming weeks, though not from the start here.
Up front, Rasmus Hojlund leads the line, looking to turn hard running into goals and points.
Tedesco still chasing first win
On the opposite bench, Tedesco will not even be on the touchline.
The Bologna coach is suspended for the next two rounds of fixtures, adding another layer of difficulty to a start that has yet to yield a competitive win. His side did at least collect their first point of the season last weekend, drawing 2-2 at home to Sassuolo, but they travel south still chasing that elusive first victory under their new boss.
Bologna arrive in Naples in 16th place and short on attacking options. Nadir Zortea and Artem Dovbyk are out, leaving Roberto Piccoli as the only senior centre-forward available. The Italian responded with a goal against Sassuolo and will need another big performance to trouble a Napoli defence that has looked fragile of late.
The Rossoblu’s shape is clear: a 4-2-3-1 designed to keep them compact and dangerous on the break, with Lewis Ferguson and Tommaso Pobega anchoring midfield and a creative band of three – Federico Bernardeschi, Jens Odgaard and Niccolò Cambiaghi – working behind Piccoli.
Tedesco will have to watch it all unfold from afar.
Probable line-ups
Napoli are expected to line up in a 4-3-3, with changes forced by injury and discipline but the core idea unchanged: dominate the ball, push the full-backs on, and trust the front three to find a way through.
Napoli (4-3-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola; Gilmour, Lobotka, De Bruyne; Politano, Hojlund, Lang.
Bologna will stick with their 4-2-3-1, aiming to frustrate, break quickly and lean on Piccoli’s movement and Bernardeschi’s experience in the final third.
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Holm, Heggem, Theate, Miranda; Ferguson, Pobega; Bernardeschi, Odgaard, Cambiaghi; Piccoli.
Kick-off is set for 17.00 BST.
Where to watch
For fans in the UK, the game will be shown live on BBC Alba and online via BBC iPlayer, and is also available through DAZN. Viewers in the USA can tune in on Paramount+.
Two coaches already feeling the heat. One stadium that demands answers. By full-time in Naples, who will have bought themselves some breathing space – and who will find the pressure turning into something far more dangerous?
