MY ACCOUNT
An injury crisis is threatening to derail a sensational start to the season for Napoli.
The Partenopei host Leicester in this evening’s decisive Europa League Group C clash with up to eight squad members set to be sidelined.
Luciano Spalletti’s men will sorely miss the likes of defensive rock Kalidou Koulibaly, captain Lorenzo Insigne, and nine-goal top scorer Victor Osimhen.
But all hope is not lost. Here are the reasons why the Neapolitans can stay on track and challenge for domestic and European silverware.
Spalletti staying positive
Napoli slipped to third in the table at the weekend after falling to a second defeat in four Serie A games.
But Spalletti refused to use their injury woes as an excuse for the 3-2 home loss to Atalanta.
He said: “Atalanta won a real game against a real team.
“We played a high level of football. We fielded a credible team that did things very well but at moments made unlucky choices.
“This is a credible team that will allow us to stay in the group of the top teams until we get everyone back and then we’ll be able to rotate a bit more.
“But this team as it stands is still enough to stay where we are.”
Recovery time
Napoli need at least a point against Leicester to have any chance of progressing further in this season’s Europa League, with top spot in the group not yet out of their grasp depending on the result of Spartak Moscow’s trip to Legia Warsaw.
A break in Europan League action until February after tonight’s game will allow Spaletti to focus on Napoli’s title challenge without the distractions of continental football.
And with injured stars returning, Napoli could be a force to be reckoned with in the latter stages if their threadbare squad can avoid an early exit.
Sharing the goals around
Only Lyon (15) and Bayer Leverkusen (14) have scored more Europa League goals this term than Napoli’s 12.
The absent Osimhen may have accounted for four of those but eight Partenopei players have found the net in their team’s five matches so far.
Fabian Ruiz, the club’s joint-top Serie A scorer, is another significant loss.
But Napoli do create plenty of opportunities — fashioning a Europa League-high 76 chances and attempting by far the most shots (108).
If the likes of Piotr Zielinski and Hirving Lozano can continue their creative input, the Serie A contenders can maintain their attacking threat.
Magnificent Mertens
In Dries Mertens, Napoli have a proven finisher ready to capitalise on any scoring opportunities.
The club legend started his season late following shoulder surgery and understandably took a little time to get up to full speed.
Lately though, the experienced forward has looked back to his brilliant best after scoring five goals in his last five appearances across all competitions.
If there is a player who Napoli can rely on in a time of need, it is their iconic Belgian.
Finding fortune in Foxes’ failings
If Spalletti’s side do struggle for open-play chances, they could find another fruitful route to goal.
No side in Serie A has scored more goals from set-pieces than Napoli this term (seven) — and the Neapolitans will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Leicester.
That is because Brendan Rodgers’ team have performed abysmally at dead-ball situations, conceding twice in such circumstances as they lost 2-1 at Aston Villa on Sunday.
If Napoli need a way of compensating for missing personnel this evening, they could do worse than to lean on their set-piece strength.
An impressive showing tonight to book their place in the knockout phase could go a long way to putting recent performances down as nothing but a blip, ensuring the Neapolitans get their promising season back on track.
