Allegri demands winning run from Napoli as returning McTominay eyes Frosinone test

Napoli return from a three-week international hiatus on Saturday with a home meeting against Frosinone — and Massimiliano Allegri has warned his players that only a sustained run of victories will keep them in touch with Serie A's leading pack.

The Partenopei sit ninth in the table, five games into their first campaign under Allegri, after drawing their most recent match 1-1 with Fiorentina. Their only two defeats in the league this season came in back-to-back fixtures against fellow title hopefuls Inter and Como, and the Opta supercomputer currently gives them just a 3% chance of winning the Scudetto.

With Saturday's clash kickstarting a congested period, Allegri knows there is no room for drift.

“There should be no anxiety, but we have to be focused on the goal, which is to take the three points [against Frosinone],” Allegri said, as quoted by Football Italia. “We will have to put together a good string of victories to stay in touch, and then there's the Champions League, which is an important goal. But we have to think one step at a time.”

McTominay back after minor heart procedure

The biggest boost for the hosts comes in the shape of Scott McTominay. The Scotland international missed four straight games after undergoing a procedure to correct a minor heart issue, but he is back in training and will be involved this weekend — albeit in a limited role.

“The news is that McTominay will be called up, and we will have him available for at least 20 to 30 minutes,” Allegri said.

According to FotMob's data, McTominay has made just two Serie A appearances in 2026-27 so far, without a goal or an assist, so his return adds much-needed midfield depth for the matches ahead.

Squad news: Allegri "not worried" despite injuries

Allegri confirmed that Antonio Vergara and Costantino Favasuli will be sidelined for a longer period, though the outlook elsewhere is brighter:

• Antonio Vergara and Costantino Favasuli — out for a longer period
• Mathias Olivera — expected to be OK within a week
• Frank Anguissa — recovering
• Luca Marianucci — coming back into the squad
• Benoit Badiashile — "has come on a lot"
• Rafa Marin — available

“We've got [Luca] Marianucci coming back in, as well as [Benoit] Badiashile, who has come on a lot. We've also got [Rafa] Marin available, so I'm not worried,” Allegri said.

Napoli will play nine games in just under a month before the November international break, with European commitments woven into that stretch. Their Champions League campaign began with a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal in September, sealed by a stunning Martin Odegaard strike — as reported on 10 September, when Allegri was already urging calm judgment, saying: “Don't forget, we brought on a player who last season was at Catanzaro, Vergara who lacks experience, so I think we need to be calm when judging the situation.” The coming month offers the coach the chance to change that narrative quickly.

Frosinone flying high after promotion

Standing in Napoli's way is a Frosinone side making a mockery of their newly promoted status. Following their promotion from Serie B, Frosinone have taken 10 points from their first five Serie A matches to sit sixth in the table — three places and three points above Napoli.

Before this season, the last newly promoted side to gain at least 10 points in their first five Serie A matches was Sampdoria in 2012-13 (11). Should Frosinone spring an upset on Saturday, they would become the first promoted team to collect at least 13 points after six matches of a single top-flight season since Juventus in 2007-08 (13).

Players to watch

Matteo Politano (Napoli)

Politano has scored three Serie A goals against Frosinone, averaging one every 118 minutes. Only against Benevento does he boast a better minutes-per-goal ratio in the competition (one every 99 minutes). Overall, only Gonzalo Higuaín, Andrea Belotti and Duvan Zapata (five goals each) and Suso (four) have scored more top-flight goals against Frosinone.

Giorgi Kvernadze (Frosinone)

Kvernadze has scored in his last three Serie A matches and could become the first Frosinone player to net in four consecutive appearances in the competition — Matias Soule was the last to score in three straight games, back in October 2023. Kvernadze has also completed 16 successful take-ons in Serie A this season, more than any other player.

What the numbers say

Napoli have won five of their six Serie A meetings with Frosinone, drawing the most recent one 2-2 at the Maradona on 14 April 2024. They have scored at least two goals in each of those six encounters, netting 20 in total (3.3 per game on average). The Partenopei have also won their last six Serie A matches against newly promoted teams, scoring 15 and conceding two — only twice have they managed longer such runs in the competition: seven straight between 1987 and 1988, and 15 between 2016 and 2019.

One note of caution: after the Fiorentina draw, a stalemate this weekend would see Napoli draw two consecutive Serie A games for the first time since last January, when they drew three in a row against Verona, Inter and Parma.

Opta's win probability model nonetheless makes Napoli firm favourites at 61.6%, with the draw priced at 20.3% and a Frosinone victory at 18.1%.