April 06, (THEWILL) – Squad selection issues face Napoli after suffering a heavy defeat at home against Milan last time out in the Serie A.
Their humbling 4-0 loss aside, Luciano Spalletti’s team still has a significant lead over the second-placed team, Lazio, with 71 points against 55. However, they cannot afford to lose concentration and will need to put in an outstanding performance in their next game, which will take place on Friday, at 7 pm, at the Via del Mare stadium.
Spalletti will need to manage his players’ strength as they face several closely-spaced fixtures this month. On April 12th, they will play the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League against Milan at San Siro; on April 15th, they will be back on the pitch in Serie A, playing against Hellas Verona at the Maradona stadium; and then again in the Champions League for the return match against Milan.
Napoli, therefore, needs great enthusiasm when they meet Lecce on Friday. Bartosz Bereszynski and Mathias Olivera return to the squad after recent injury problems. However, Victor Osimhen will be the notable absentee, as confirmed by Spalletti in his press conference. His left adductor injury also puts his availability for the Champions League match against Milan in doubt.
There are no suspended players in Spalletti’s team, but he will need to be cautious with Kim and Ndombele, who are at risk of suspension due to accumulated yellow cards. In Osimhen’s absence, Giacomo Raspadori will top-strike, with Hirving Lozano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wings.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
