Lazio.Napoli on the pitch at 6pm
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At the Olimpico with 9 absences, but Napoli wants to win
The disappointment of the Super Cup and the recovery victory over Salernitana after the defeat at Torino: this is where Napoli starts again, seeing the market doors open due to the arrival of new players, but who tomorrow at the Olimpico against Lazio is awaiting a decisive test, in which they will have to demonstrate that they are truly capable of turning the season around in the second round, to climb back towards the Champions League places.
Walter Mazzarri knows all this well.
He has worked hard in recent days, after the anger at the 10-man defeat against Inter in Saudi Arabia, he has worked on the pitch and at the head of the group.
Today he chooses not to speak, he wants to avoid any distraction that could deconcentrate the team: only the words of Aurelio De Laurentiis remain, who spoke about today's rebuilt Naples and, above all, about the new one that he will build in the summer.
Now, however, we need points.
Points to score in a big match like the one with Sarri's team, the man who came close to winning the Scudetto with Napoli and who wants to continue the positive streak after the five victories in a row between the championship and the Italian Cup derby, forgetting the knockout in the Super Cup with Inter.
However, Mazzarri must first of all invent a winning team, taking into account the absences of nine players, including the injured Olivera, Natan and Meret, Osimhen and Anguissa, rivals in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations in Nigeria-Cameroon, and Traoré, who is preparing after a long stop and will be available again next week.
Then there are the suspended Cajuste, Kvaratskhelia and Simeone to complete the acrobatics the coach is called upon to perform.
The hypothesis is a 3-5-1-1, with the problem to be overcome in midfield, where Zielinski should return to the field from the 1st minute, departing from Napoli.
The Pole will be the one to give a touch of construction together with Politano, to both try the shot from afar or find the right ball for Raspadori, the only striker who remains and plays.
For the rest, in midfield Napoli is banking on the brains of Lobotka and Demme and on the running of Mazzocchi to also try to amaze the careful construction of Sarri's team.
Mazzarri also relies on Lobotka and Demme to have a midfield that knows how to contain Lazio's strong counterattack, protecting the Azzurri defense with Di Lorenzo, Rahmani and Juan Jesus.
New schemes, therefore, but above all awareness of the renewed strength in Arabia and the desire to begin the comeback in the rankings, waiting for the new players to join, starting with Ngonge and Dendoncker, who have proven ready and could already make their debut during the match.
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