Napoli’s recent streak of good fortune with player availability has come to an end as they prepare to face Genoa this weekend. Manager Antonio Conte finds himself without two crucial players, potentially until early next month.
Star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, known for his creative prowess, has been sidelined due to injury. Adding to Conte’s woes, defensive stalwart Alessandro Buongiorno has also joined the list of absentees.
To address these gaps, Conte is likely to turn to either Rafa Marin or Juan Jesus to fill in for Buongiorno at the back. David Neres is expected to step in for Kvaratskhelia on the left flank. While there are concerns over the fitness of Pasquale Mazzocchi and Michael Folorunsho, Frank Anguissa is anticipated to shake off an illness and maintain his pivotal role in midfield.
On a positive note for Napoli, striker Romelu Lukaku boasts an impressive record against Genoa, having netted seven goals in six Serie A encounters with the Ligurian side – his most prolific tally against any Italian team.
Genoa, for their part, are no strangers to injury woes. They continue to be without Koni De Winter, Jeff Ekhator, Caleb Ekuban, Junior Messias, and Ruslan Malinovskyi. Recent signing Mario Balotelli has seen limited action since his return to Italian football and is currently battling a fever.
In Balotelli’s absence, Genoa will likely rely on their top scorer Andrea Pinamonti, who has found the net five times this season, to lead their attacking efforts against Napoli’s depleted defense.
Genoa (4-3-2-1): Leali; Sabelli, Bani, Vasquez, Martin; Frendrup, Badelj, Thorsby; Zanoli, Miretti; Pinamonti
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Politano, McTominay, Neres; Lukaku
