Napoli returns to the pitch after the Champions League defeat against Villarreal, with the return match against Davide Nicola's Venezia set for 3pm tomorrow. Massimiliano Allegri expressed optimism in a press conference, underlining the need to manage the difficult moments and find solutions to the technical problems that characterized the Spanish match. The coach recalled that, despite the 2-1 in Spain, the team had multiple opportunities to equalize and that the team must remain calm when they find themselves behind. “We have to understand, manage the ball better at certain moments of the match, manage the unexpected,” said Allegri, adding that Napoli still has time to improve.
For the match against Venezia, Allegri indicated that Lorenzo Lucca could be started from the first minute. The coach explained that he will evaluate the start of the match after today's training, considering both Lucca and Rasmus Hojlund. According to Allegri, Hojlund has played a lot of matches and may need some rest, while Lucca showed good performances in Spain, creating scoring opportunities. "He is a player who can and must make his contribution. I think he has been criticized too much", added the coach. Allegri also left open the possibility of fielding both centre-forwards, stating that a double centre-forward could be a solution to not force Hojlund to always play in front of goal.
Allegri then spoke about the players returning after injuries. Anguissa, Alisson and Olivera are back in the group and are available for the next match. McTominay, who needs to regain his playing condition, is still recovering. Marianucci and Beukema, also recovered, are considered reliable and represent an advantage for the team. “Having them available is an advantage,” underlined the coach.
As for the squad, Neres remains out of the list of available players, while Vergara and Favasuli are progressing well but are not yet ready to return. Napoli, after the convincing victory against Frosinone in the last round, tries to maintain continuity and face Venezia with a balanced team ready to handle the challenges that arise. Tomorrow, Napoli will have to prove that they can turn the lessons learned from the Champions League into a solid performance in Serie A.