Allegri: "Winning Champions League isn't easy"; Anguissa out, Arsenal flight delayed

The Tuscan coach faces a full injury list, with Neres also a doubt. However, De Bruyne is nearing his return, stating: "We need to be confident and ambitious. That's what it takes to move forward." Ambition. That's the keyword for Napoli just hours before their Champions League debut. Yes, Arsenal are favourites for many obvious reasons. But the journey will be long, and Massimiliano Allegri already seems to have a clear vision: "We all need to have the ambition to have a great Champions League campaign," Max emphasised. "That's what drives you forward. We must be confident." Max has preached calm and confidence since his arrival at Napoli. Now he has added "ambition" to his vocabulary. He, who has achieved great results in Europe and was chosen by De Laurentiis precisely to revitalise Napoli in the most important tournament, after last season's disappointing 30th-place finish. "We need to see how the team is in March; there are strong teams like Barcelona, Real, Arsenal, Bayern, PSG. All of them can compete to win the Champions League. I know it's not easy to win it; I've reached the final twice but lost both. Hopefully, things will go a bit better for me between now and the end." Team Selection — Max doesn't set out detailed roadmaps, but he already has a primary objective in mind: "This is an eight-match mini-league; we need at least 12 points to progress." Then, regarding the match: "There will be no change in formation. Unfortunately, we won't have McTominay, who underwent surgery this morning, or Anguissa, who has an adductor problem. For Neres, we'll assess tomorrow morning whether he'll be available." This opens up space for Gilmour, likely in a double pivot. However, Allegri is reluctant to commit on this point: "I have four midfielders; three will play..." He then revealed a little more: "De Bruyne is an extraordinary player: he missed the first three games, and tomorrow he will most likely be involved." He then praised Arteta: "Arsenal are a complete team; it's normal that they are the favourites tomorrow. Arteta has been good and quick to sort out their defensive phase; they concede few goals. They are very good when they have the ball and even better without it. That's a mentality Arteta has instilled in them." Yet, confidence and ambition remain key, to avoid repeating past mistakes. Arsenal were stranded at London airport due to a terminal issue, which led to the cancellation of Arteta's pre-match press conference. This article was originally written in Italian by La Gazzetta dello Sport editor. The English version has been generated using AI translation tools. If you notice any translation errors or have suggestions, please contact us at iniziativegazzetta@rcs.it