NAPLES, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 22: SSC Napoli players posing before the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Pisa SC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 22, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund all start for Napoli in their Champions League league phase clash against Sporting CP on Wednesday night, but Antonio Conte has to do without several of his key first-team defenders at the Maradona.
Kick-off is due at 20.00 BST.
You can follow the action as it unfolds on the Football Italia Liveblog.
Antonio Conte has an availability crisis in defence: Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo is suspended after his 20th minute red card against Manchester City in the first round of league phase fixtures. Injuries mean that there will be no Alessandro Buongiorno or Amir Rrahmani either.
Luca Marianucci, who started in the 2-1 defeat to Milan in Serie A over the weekend, is not part of Napoli’s Champions League squad list and is therefore also unavailable tonight.
That means that Leonardo Spinazzola starts on the right of a back four again, with Beukema coming in to partner Juan Jesus in the middle. Miguel Gutierrez starts his second game in a row at left-back.
There is more familiarity surrounding the Partenopei midfield and attack, with Stanislav Lobotka, Matteo Politano, Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund all in the starting line-up, as they were against Manchester City last time out in the Champions League.
Napoli vs. Sporting CP: Confirmed line-ups
Napoli (4-1-4-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Spinazzola, Beukema, Juan Jesus, Gutierrez; Lobotka; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund.
Sporting CP (4-2-3-1): Rui Silva; Fresneda, Quaresma, Inacio, Araujo; Hjulmand, Joao Simoes; Quenda, Trincao, Catamo; Ioannidis.
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