Allegri hints at McTominay Champions League start as Napoli seek lift against Villarreal
Allegri hints at McTominay Champions League start as Napoli seek lift against Villarreal
Scott McTominay returned to action for Napoli at the weekend, and Massimiliano Allegri has hinted the Scotland international could now be thrust straight into the starting XI for Tuesday's Champions League clash against Villarreal.
McTominay missed Napoli's final four games before the extended international break as he recovered from heart surgery, but he made his comeback from the bench in the club's Serie A win over Frosinone on Saturday. With the midfielder back in the squad, Allegri has opened the door to a first European start of the campaign.
"It's possible, but I haven't fully decided the XI yet," Allegri said when asked whether McTominay could start. "Tomorrow morning I'll try to picture the game, taking the substitutions into account too.
"I have a squad of excellent players. Some are coming back from injury, but it'll take a bit of time to have them back at 100%, and we'll need to be lucky with how we manage them so they can recover.
"We have to try to pick up points, because it's the second Champions League game. Against Villarreal it won't be easy, because they're an awkward side and they're coming off a good game against Real Madrid [a 1-0 loss in LaLiga]."
A sluggish European opening
During McTominay's spell on the sidelines, Napoli began their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 home defeat to 2025-26 runners-up Arsenal. The performance was concerning: Napoli's expected goals (xG) in that defeat was just 0.22 — the lowest of any team on matchday one of this season's Champions League.
They also registered only eight touches in the opposition box, with only Bodo/Glimt (seven, against Bayern Munich) having fewer across the first round of fixtures. Allegri is therefore eager for his side to get points on the board in the league phase, and the returning McTominay may be central to that ambition.
A familiar foe for Villarreal
Napoli and Villarreal have met on six previous occasions, with both sides winning two matches apiece and drawing the other two. While the Spanish side are unbeaten against Napoli across four meetings in the Europa League (W2 D2), Villarreal have lost both of their Champions League encounters with the Italians — a pair of 2-0 defeats in the 2011-12 group stage.
Allegri's caution about Villarreal's threat is well founded, but with McTominay potentially restored to the engine room, Napoli will hope to produce a far more potent attacking display than the one they mustered against Arsenal.