Napoli vs Bologna: Allegri Faces Crisis Amid Injury Woes

Naples braces for a crisis afternoon. At the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, SSC Napoli host Bologna on Sunday, September 13, 2026, with kick-off at 12:00 p.m. local time — and with Massimiliano Allegri already managing under a spotlight that burns hotter by the week.

Allegri under fire

Three defeats in a row have stripped away any early-season optimism. Como, Inter, Arsenal: one after another, they have exposed a Napoli side still stuck between eras. The move from Antonio Conte’s rigid 3-5-2 to Allegri’s preferred 4-3-3 has not taken hold, and the table tells its own story — Napoli sit 12th in Serie A, looking over their shoulder rather than up.

Lose at home to Bologna, and the conversation around Allegri shifts from concern to full-blown crisis. The Maradona crowd has seen too much success in recent years to tolerate a slide of this scale for long.

The problems are not just tactical. They are physical.

Injury pile-up and a stretched squad

Napoli arrive at this fixture with a treatment room that looks far too busy for mid-September. Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci, Scott McTominay, Giovane Nascimento, Alex Meret, and Alisson Santos are all ruled out.

Alisson Santos’ absence is particularly damaging. The forward suffered a medium-grade biceps femoris tear against Arsenal and is not expected back until October. Meret, meanwhile, lasted only 45 minutes of that same Champions League defeat before a muscular issue forced Allegri to turn to Nikita Contini and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the goalkeeping rotation.

The projected XI underlines how tight things are: Contini; Marin, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, Vergara; Politano, Hoejlund, Neres. It is a side with quality, but also with a clear sense of compromise.

One player stands to gain from the chaos. Noa Lang, omitted from the matchday squad against Arsenal for non-sporting reasons, is suddenly back in the frame. With Alisson Santos sidelined, Lang is among the leading candidates to start on the right of Allegri’s attack. A statement performance from him could change the tone of Napoli’s week — and maybe their season.

Bologna’s own troubles

Bologna do not arrive in Naples in good health either. Domenico Tedesco is suspended and will watch from afar as his side, 16th in the table, try to snap a poor run of their own.

One win in their last five matches across all competitions, three defeats, and no league victory yet this season: it is hardly the form of a team travelling with swagger. Their most recent Serie A outing ended 2-2 at home to Sassuolo, a result that at least stopped the bleeding after back-to-back 0-1 defeats to Atalanta and Lazio.

Bologna will also be without Oussama El Azzouzi and Riccardo Orsolini through injury. In goal, Skorupski is expected to start, with Bernardeschi, Ferguson, and Odgaard among the midfield options behind the forward pairing of Cambiaghi and Piccoli. It is a side capable of hurting teams in transition, but one that has not yet found rhythm.

A fixture heavy with early-season weight

Strip away the calendar and this looks like a classic mid-table clash. Look closer, and it feels like something far more loaded.

Napoli, 12th. Bologna, 16th. Two teams stuck in the mud, desperate for a result that can reset their trajectory. For Allegri, the stakes are obvious: three straight defeats across Serie A and the Champions League, three goals scored and six conceded in that damaging spell, and a fanbase already restless.

For Bologna, the urgency is quieter but just as real. No league wins, three goals scored and four conceded in their last five fixtures, and a coach watching from the stands. Drop points again, and the season begins to tilt in a direction that is hard to correct.

Recent history at the Maradona

The Maradona has not always been kind to Napoli in this fixture. The most recent meeting between these sides in Naples ended in a 3-2 Bologna victory on May 11, 2026, a result that still stings. Across the last five head-to-head clashes, the record is perfectly balanced: two wins each and one draw.

Napoli did claim a 2-0 win in the Super Cup in December 2025, a reminder of their capacity to rise on big occasions. Bologna answered that by winning 2-0 at home in Serie A a month earlier, in November 2025. There is no sense of fear here for the visitors. They know they can come to this stadium and win.

Where and how to watch in the United States

For viewers in the United States, Napoli vs Bologna will be available live on multiple platforms. The match is set to be shown on Fubo, UNIVERSO, Paramount+, DirecTV Stream, Peacock, and CBS Sports Network.

Fans should check local listings and the relevant apps for exact channel details and kick-off confirmation, but the choice is clear: whether you prefer a traditional TV broadcast or a streaming service, this game is widely accessible.

Watching from abroad

Travelling or living outside your usual broadcast region does not have to mean missing the game. Many fans turn to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep watching their regular services when they are on the move.

A VPN allows you to create a secure, encrypted connection and virtually switch your location to a country where the match is being shown. Once connected to a server in that region, you can log in to your usual broadcaster’s website or app and stream as if you were at home. Clearing your browser’s cookies can help the new location register properly before you start watching.

For those who prefer the big screen, most modern smart TVs support VPN use via apps, router setup, or casting from a VPN-enabled device, allowing the Maradona’s noise and tension to fill the room.

Two teams. One stadium. A table that already looks uncomfortable for both. If Napoli stumble again, does this become the day their season, and Allegri’s grip on it, truly starts to unravel?