Napoli host Frosinone at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on 10 October 2026 in Matchweek 6 of Serie A. The table is worth a look before assuming this goes one way: Frosinone sit sixth on ten points with a goal difference of plus five, whereas Napoli are down in ninth on seven points with a goal difference of just plus one.
Napoli's form has been patchy, their 1-1 draw at Fiorentina around 20 September showing resilience but not much else. Frosinone, by contrast, have posted a WDWDW run that includes a convincing 2-0 home win over Como.
Napoli arrive with a lengthy injury list. Buongiorno is out following meniscus surgery, Olivera has a muscle injury, Alisson Santos is sidelined by a thigh problem with a mid October return target and Favasuli won't be back until early November. Vergara is also absent until early November with a calf strain, Anguissa has been missing since around 20 September with a muscle complaint and McTominay, cleared after a heart procedure, is unlikely to start - that is two first choice central defenders and a first team midfielder unavailable at the same time. Frosinone have their own absentees in Birligea, out with a muscular problem, Grillitsch, sidelined after hernia surgery and Raimondo, a doubt with an Achilles issue.
Allegri has built Napoli around a 4-2-3-1, with Lobotka and Gilmour sitting as a double pivot in front of the back four and De Bruyne operating as the creative engine behind Hojlund. Di Lorenzo's overlapping runs become even more important given the loss of first choice cover on the left side of the defence.
Frosinone tend to mirror that shape, relying on compactness and quick transitions to unsettle possession heavy sides. Ghedjemis and Kvernadze are the outlets in advanced positions, Schmid and Calo sit behind Bobcek and their likely plan is to sit deep, win the ball quickly and target that weakened left channel before Napoli can reorganise. The midfield contest is where the game will probably be decided: if Lobotka and Gilmour control it, the game opens up for De Bruyne and Hojlund, whereas if Frosinone disrupt it, that exposed left channel becomes a real problem.
Napoli have won five of seven Serie A meetings with Frosinone, the most recent ending 2-2 in April 2024 and set pieces carry added weight here given the defensive absences, with De Bruyne's delivery the main threat from dead balls and Frosinone needing to stay compact to avoid conceding cheap headers.
Napoli 2-1 Frosinone. Those absences in defence and midfield give Frosinone genuine openings and this will not be the comfortable home win the fixture might have suggested a few months ago - expect a nervy win for the hosts, sealed late after soaking up pressure from Frosinone's transitions.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
