Spinazzola injury confirmed as Napoli short on left-backs | OneFootball

Napoli confirm that Leonardo Spinazzola will be out of tonight’s match against Udinese following a muscular lesion, meaning they are without two left-backs.

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the Liveblog.

This is an opportunity to further extend their lead at the top of the table, which now stands at three points following Inter’s rescheduled defeat to Fiorentina.

Mathias Olivera has been out of action for several weeks, with Spinazzola filling in at left-back.

Napoli need alternatives to Spinazzola and Olivera

epa11554533 Napoli players react after their loss in the Italian Serie A soccer match Hellas Verona vs Napoli at the Marcantonio Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, 18 August 2024. EPA-EFE/FILIPPO VENEZIA

The EURO 2020 winner was expected to do the same this evening against Udinese, but a statement on the club website confirmed that he will not even be on the bench.

This is because Spinazzola sustained an injury in yesterday’s training session and tests have shown a lesion to the gluteal muscle in his right leg.

This kind of injury is likely to rule him out for at least two to four weeks, causing a problem for the Partenopei.

Pasquale Mazzocchi is therefore set to start on the left side of Antonio Conte’s four-man defence tonight at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.