UEFA Champions LeagueOctober 20, 20263 min readBy Peter OlaleruEditor & Founder

Allegri Swaps Four as Napoli Chase First Champions League Points Against Bodø/Glimt

Napoli make four changes for Bodø/Glimt as Meret, Spinazzola, Anguissa and Lang start. Allegri's 3-4-2-1 faces the visitors' 4-3-3 in the Champions League.

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Napoli vs Bodø/Glimt
October 20, 2026
LIVE
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Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli have made four changes for their Champions League meeting with Bodø/Glimt at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with Massimiliano Allegri reshaping his side after the defeat in Spain last week.

Alex Meret replaces Milinkovic-Savic in goal. Leonardo Spinazzola, Frank Anguissa and Lang also come into the XI, with Badiashile, Gilmour and one further name making way. The alterations touch every department: goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack.

Napoli's 3-4-2-1 and the Anguissa axis

Napoli set up in a 3-4-2-1. The shape puts three centre-backs behind a four-man midfield, with two attacking midfielders supporting a lone striker. Amir Rrahmani anchors the back line as the central defensive reference.

Frank Anguissa's return to the starting midfield is the selection that shapes Napoli's control. In the 3-4-2-1, the two central midfielders must cover ground horizontally and vertically, and Anguissa's ball-carrying gives Napoli a route through Bodø/Glimt's midfield three when the passing lanes close.

Spinazzola's inclusion points to width from the wing-back positions. In a 3-4-2-1, the wing-backs supply the overlap; Spinazzola's job is to stretch the visitors' back four and deliver into the box for the two attacking midfielders arriving late.

Bodø/Glimt's 4-3-3 and the Helmersen question

Bodø/Glimt line up in a 4-3-3. Three forwards press Napoli's back three, three midfielders contest the centre, and the back four defends the width Spinazzola and his opposite wing-back will try to create.

Andreas Helmersen leads the visitors' attack. Against a back three, the centre-forward's movement decides whether Bodø/Glimt can pin Napoli deep or whether the hosts step out and play through the first line. Fredrik André Bjørkan is the other name to watch, operating from the left side of the visitors' structure.

The tactical question is whether Bodø/Glimt's front three can disrupt Napoli's build-up from a back three, or whether Anguissa and the two attacking midfielders find the spare man between the lines.

What the selections imply

Allegri's four changes signal that the defeat in Spain carried consequences. Meret's return in goal is the most direct statement: the goalkeeper position is back in contention. Spinazzola and Lang add fresh legs in wide areas, while Anguissa restores a physical presence in central midfield.

For Bodø/Glimt, the 4-3-3 is the platform to press and counter. If Helmersen can occupy Rrahmani and the other centre-backs, the visitors' midfield three can push higher and squeeze the space Anguissa needs.

Napoli's 3-4-2-1 gives them a numerical advantage in central defence but leaves the wing-backs exposed if Bodø/Glimt switch play quickly. The first 15 minutes will show whether Allegri's changes produce control or whether the visitors' front three set the terms.

Kick-off is at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Napoli are chasing their first points of this Champions League campaign; Bodø/Glimt arrive with their own ambitions in the group.

Sources

  1. [1]FotMob
  2. [2]ESPN
  3. [3]Photo: Gaetano Capaldo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped
Peter Olaleru

Editor & Founder

Peter Olaleru

Peter is the founder and editor of Measured Take and a cybersecurity professional. He leads our news, fact checks, sport and guides from around the world, with a particular eye on cyber attacks, data breaches, scams, AI and misinformation.

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