On Saturday evening, Napoli will host Juventus at the Stadio Maradona in the grand clash of the third Serie A matchday. However, the late returns of the South American stars from international duty is leaving both Max Allegri and Luciano Spalletti with major headaches.
With the South American World Cup qualifiers set to take place on Thursday night, the players won’t return to Europe until Friday, leaving their availability for the encounter in great jeopardy.
The Bianconeri in particular have five players currently on the other side of the Atlantic – Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro, Danilo, Juan Cuadrado and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Therefore, la Gazzetta dello Sport expects Allegri to heavily rely on the European players, with three Italian stars set to be handed their first starts of the season.
Following his strong performance for Italy against Switzerland, captain Giorgio Chiellini should return to lead the backline which could turn into a three-man defense to cover for the potential absence of the South American fullbacks.
Manuel Locatelli is another Bianconeri star who impressed against the Swiss on Sunday night, and it’s about time that he starts matches for his new club – especially amidst the great difficulties facing the club’s midfield department.
Finally, Moise Kean could be thrusted from the get-go after completing a return to Juventus on the final day of the transfer market. The young Italian is yet to train with the squad, but Allegri already knows him well from his previous stint at the club.
The former Everton and PSG man could be deployed either alongside Alvaro Morata in attack, or in a supporting role right behind the Spaniard.
