Napoli host Roma at the Maradona as they hope to cling on to their pursuit of an elusive Serie A title
As Napoli struggled at home against Fiorentina last week, Victor Osimhen once again rose to the occasion and scored his first goal against the Seven sisters.
Osimhen’s goal and assist in the game were not enough to prevent Napoli from suffering a very disappointing loss at home but the game had patches that could be a perfect morale booster for the attacker.
His battle with the Fiorentina defense often led to a lot of dispossession on the day but Spalleti was quick to see the crack in his team.
Napoli looked better in the second half when Osimhen played alongside club record scorer Dries Mertens, laying a beautiful assist for the Belgian after a swift counter attack.
If what Osimhen showed in Napoli’s first goal against Fiorentina was instinctive, his goal and Napoli’s second underlined his quality and devastation in thin moments.
Napoli may have lost the game but it was clear to all that Osimhen was inarguably the most important piece of their jigsaw in the title race.
Against Roma, Napoli will again play at the Maradona, hoping to correct last week’s wrongs and earn a victory to keep the race open.
In Tammy Abraham, the Napoli defense faces one of the finest and hottest marksman in the Serie A this season. The Three Lions attacker’s 15 goals in the Serie A this season has kept Roma’s European hopes alive and in a season that promised so much at the beginning, they are again beginning to look like a well-drilled team.
Abraham has scored 15 goals and assisted 3 in 31 league games this season, a decent return by every standard.
The goals place him 4th on the scorers’ chart, ten goals behind top scorer, Ciro Immobile. While the Lazio attacker has six of his goals coming from the spot, Abraham has just two through penalties.
Osimhen, in comparison hasn’t taken any penalty this season despite winning six of Napoli’s eleven penalties in the current campaign. His 12 goals and 4 assists in 21 league games is one of the most decent return of any attacker in the league when measured on goal per game basis.
Abraham and Osimhen will be the centre of attention when both sides face and the game may ultimately be decided by the attacker who comes to life.
