Napoli hosts Arsenal in Champions League opener without McTominay or Anguissa after Scot's heart surgery

Two absences in the same position, just hours before the European debut. That's what Massimiliano Allegri has to figure out before Napoli takes the field this Wednesday against Arsenal in the opening matchday of the Champions League. Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa won't be available, and that's no small setback for a midfield that needed to be at full strength against a rival of this caliber.

McTominay's situation is worrying for reasons that go beyond soccer. The Scot underwent a surgical procedure on Tuesday to treat a heart arrhythmia. Anguissa, meanwhile, is dealing with a physical issue that also leaves him unable to play. Two important pieces, out at the same time, right when the schedule shows no mercy.

Allegri has already made clear how he plans to solve the puzzle. "In midfield we'll play with three among De Bruyne, Gilmour, Lobotka and Vergara," the Italian coach explained on Tuesday. In other words, he'll have to pick three names out of four available options to cover an area that normally had more depth.

Unfinished business with Europe

Napoli arrives with morale still bruised from its last Champions League campaign. As reigning Serie A champion, the Naples club was eliminated in the league phase after finishing 30th out of 36 teams, a result that fell well short of expectations for the defending Italian titleholder. That failure was, in large part, what led to Antonio Conte's departure and Allegri's arrival on the bench.

The coach doesn't hide the size of the challenge this group presents. "We need to get to 12 points to secure qualification," Allegri said. "We know we're facing a team that just won the Premier League and reached the final of this competition. Arteta has done a good job organizing his defense and they concede very few goals."

I was fortunate enough to manage in two finals, but I lost both.Massimiliano Allegri

Allegri was referring to his time at Juventus, when he fell in the finals of 2015 and 2017, against Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. A way of acknowledging, without dressing it up, that he knows what it takes to go deep in this competition and what it means to face a contender like Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

The domestic picture doesn't help build confidence either. Napoli has dropped two straight games in Serie A, losing to Como and Inter Milan. With the midfield absences and that recent losing streak, the European opener arrives at an awkward moment, but it also represents a chance for the team to start showing a different face before the league phase moves forward.