Napoli are clinging on the return of Victor Osimhen to fuel their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. After mixed reports on the matter, he’ll be back in Italy on Thursday morning, Ansa relays.
It’s far from certain the striker will feature against Genoa on Saturday, though. On top of the draining competition, the long flight, and the jet lag, he soldiered through gastroenteritis and lost a few kilos, La Repubblica relays.
Osimhen will be evaluated in training to determine if and how much he could play versus Genoa. Instead, he’ll be back in the starting lineup against Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League’s Round of 16. Despite a few knocks and ailments during the tournament, he’s healthy.
Without their ace, Napoli won just three matches against Verona and Salernitana in Serie A and Fiorentina in the Supercoppa, drew twice, and lost on three occasions. They have failed to score in six out of eight games. His deputies, Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone, have not hit the net since Walter Mazzarri took over.
Our Take on Osimhen
They treaded waters in the past without him, but that hasn’t been the case this season. His replacements were the most affected by a less proactive brand of football and haven’t lived up to the task. It’ll be an interesting dynamic considering his likely summer departure. It’ll be up to him to prove he’s not checked out already.
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