The injury bug continues to hit Napoli as two more players went down in the Inter clash. Matteo Politano could not finish the first half due to a muscular problem, and Stanislav Lobotka bowed out with 20 minutes to go.
The team announced today that the winger pulled the soleus muscle in the right leg while the midfielder strained the biceps femoris in the right thigh. According to SOS Fanta, both are likely to miss two-to-three weeks.
Napoli will be particularly depleted up front in the next few games. Hirving Lozano is nursing a shoulder sprain and will be out for about a month. Coach Luciano Spalletti deployed Elijf Elmas on the right flank versus the Nerazzurri. The North Macedonian adapted to the role as he generally features centrally or on the left. Adam Ounas will also be an option. He returned on the pitch Saturday after dealing with minor complications stemming from a COVID-19 infection.
Lobotka held down the fort in the midfield while André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was participating in the African Cup of Nations. The starter is back, plus they have Diego Demme in the role as well. Piotr Zielinski can fill in if necessary, especially with Dries Mertens and Victor Osimhen both available.
Napoli will have to cope with the injury crisis at least for the matches against Barcelona and Cagliari. The hope is that the absentees will be back versus Lazio or against Milan in early March. The Partenopei fared brilliantly in January while navigating a similar situation.