Serie A pacesetters Napoli have received a significant injury boost ahead of Sunday night’s mouth-watering league clash against Inter. According to Partenopei boss Antonio Conte via Calciomercato, Stanislav Lobotka is available for selection after missing out on the last two matches due to injury.
“Lobotka has recovered and is available. We still need to evaluate whether he will start or come on during the match,” the Napoli manager said during his pre-match conference. “We all know his qualities; there’s no need to emphasize the value of the player.“
Lobotka’s absence cost Napoli dearly as they slumped to an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta last weekend. Billy Gilmour, who deputized for the Slovakia international in that match, failed to impress. However, Conte defended the Scottish midfielder.
“You won’t hear me complain if I’m missing a player; we have a squad built within our limits, and I trust all the players at my disposal,” he added. “When we don’t perform at our best, we lose duels and second balls, making it difficult against these teams. Every opponent can put us in trouble if we don’t give everything.“
Lobotka couldn’t have timed his return to action any better. Napoli will take on defending champions Inter at Giuseppe Meazza tomorrow night. One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures in the Serie A calendar has all the makings of a title six-pointer, with only one point separating the
With Lobotka back, Gilmour will likely return to the bench. The former should link up with long-serving Napoli stalwart Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay in the engine room.
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