MILAN, Italy (AP) — Napoli may be forced to play one of its most important games without star player Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen has missed Napoli’s last two games after injuring his left adductor muscle while on international duty with Nigeria.
The club hoped that the forward would be able to play in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against AC Milan on Wednesday at the San Siro, but that is looking increasingly unlikely.
Osimhen has not trained with the team since returning to Naples last month, and according to Italian media reports, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis told worried fans over the weekend that Osimhen would not be ready for the match.
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Osimhen is the top scorer in the Italian league this season, with 21 goals, and his 21 goals have played a critical role in Napoli’s seemingly unstoppable march to its first Serie A title since Diego Maradona led the club to its only two Italian league titles in 1987 and 1990.
Osimhen has scored four goals in the Champions League this season, including three in the round of 16 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
For the first time in the club’s history, Napoli advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals.
According to AP NEWS “In soccer, you go through the doldrums at times, but you have to be able to dig deep when it matters,” Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti said after the victory. “After successfully navigating this difficult away match, we’ve gained a lot of confidence.”
Napoli is a different team with Osimhen and the opposition defense knows he can cause problems at any time, but a relapse could rule the forward out for the rest of the season.
The winner of the two-legged matchup between Milan and Napoli will face Inter Milan or Benfica in the semifinals.
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