FC Porto and Napoli are scheduled to meet at 8pm (Mainland Portugal time) on Wednesday, at Estádio do Dragão, in a game counting for the fourth round of the Champions League league phase. And, around 24 hours away from the final whistle, the respective coaches, Francesco Farioli and Massimiliano Allegri, are counting their lives.
Let’s start with the case of the reigning Portuguese champions, who returned to work on Tuesday, after enjoying a day off, following the 4-0 defeat against Estoril, in a session in which the young coach ended up receiving… mixed news regarding the options he has in his portfolio.
On the one hand, no problem was detected with Zaidu Sanusi, who was replaced by João Souza at half-time in the duel with the Canarinhos, as a precaution. On the other hand, the names of Chris Smalling, Vasco Sousa, William Gomes and Oskar Pietuszewski continue to appear in the clinical report.
The English central defender and the Portuguese midfielder are ‘cards off the deck’. The first is because, in addition to being injured, he is not registered with UEFA. The second, because he has been sidelined for almost a year now, due to a serious fracture in the fibula of his right leg suffered while he was still playing for Moreirense, on loan.
Therefore, there remains hope for the prompt recovery of the Brazilian and Polish wingers, who have evolved from a treatment and gym regime to one of conditioned training, and are getting closer and closer to receiving the ‘green light’ to be used again by the Dragons’ coach.
Allegri’s problems keep increasing
If the scenario that Francesco Farioli faces is not ideal, the one that Massimiliano Allegri faces is even greater. Napoli is training in Turin, where they traveled last weekend, to face Juventus (a match in which they ended up losing, 2-0), and, on Monday, there were two new developments to record.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathías Olivera, who were injured in what was the headline game of the tenth round of Serie A, returned to Naples to be re-evaluated, with the first being diagnosed with an adductor strain, and the second with a muscle strain.
The ‘company star’, Kevin De Bruyne, on the other hand, suffered a sprained ankle, so it is not yet certain whether he will be called up for the trip to Portugal. This, without forgetting that David Neres, Alisson Santos, Leo Spinazzola, Stanislav Lobotka and Benoit Badiashile continue to be under the care of the clinical department.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Rasmus Hojlund missed the visit to Vecchia Signora. The case of the first is simple, because it was all just a flu, from which he will already be cured. More delicate is that of the second, who suffered a muscle strain and continue to work in a conditioned way, so it is another ‘headache’ to take into account.
