Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti believes that the return of Victor Osimhen to the starting line-up will give the team a big psychological boost.
Spalletti spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss on the eve of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Milan and he began by reflecting on the 0-0 draw with Verona at the weekend, with TMW relaying his comments.
“I expected the match against Verona to be so difficult. We had to be fluid. In the possession phase we were unable to find space between their players. They are used to playing this type of match and they were helped by the attitude and by our lack of fluidity.”
One of the big factors will be the return of Osimhen who missed both the 4-0 in the league at the Maradona and the first leg at San Siro between the Azzurri and the Rossoneri after picking up a muscle injury while away with Nigeria.
He will be back in the XI tomorrow, and Spalletti did not try and deflect from the fact that it is a big boost for his team in their bid to overhaul a one-goal deficit.
“He gave that burst of enthusiasm that our fans rightly attribute to him by now and he immediately showed that he was in the game. He needed these 25 minutes of running to be ready to play on Tuesday. It’s clear that we will also see the players in training.”
There has been some tension between Napoli owner and president Aurelio De Laurentiis and the Ultras groups at the club which culminated with them protesting during the recent league meeting, but now a truce has been called.
“When I saw that there had been a conciliation, I was very happy, it was thanks to De Laurentiis. I say that depriving our players of the affection and love of the fans, who struggle among other things, it was unfair to keep them hidden. Now that we are all united in our desire to love Napoli, everything becomes easier for us,” Spalletti said.
