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By Peter Akinbo
Nigerian forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will lock horns as Napoli host Atalanta in an Italian Serie A encounter at the Stadio Maradona on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Both teams are winless in their last two games heading into this fixture. Napoli are currently placed seventh on 45 points through 29 matches. They are two points behind Atalanta who are in sixth place with 47 points from 28 matches.
Osimhen and Lookman combined clinically during the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and were arguably the best attackers in the Eagles squad contributing four goals each. The Atalanta winger scored three and assisted one while the Napoli striker scored one, assisted one and won two penalties for Nigeria during the tournament.
The duo have also been in good form for their respective clubs this season with Osimhen scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in 17 league games for the club while Lookman is Atalanta’s joint-topscorer this season having found the back of the net eight times in 22 league games with three assists.
After missing out on the game against Inter and Nigeria’s recent internationals, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, when he takes on one of his favourite opponents.
Last year’s Capocannoniere certainly likes playing La Dea, having both scored his first Serie A goal against Atalanta in October 2020 and been directly involved in five goals from five meetings.
The previous league fixture between both clubs saw Napoli come out on top 2-1 with Lookman scoring the only goal for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side while Osimhen assisted a late winner for the Partenopei.
Speaking ahead of the clash, former Napoli striker Gianluca Savoldi Savoldi has predicted that the two Super Eagles forwards will be decisive in the clash and heaped praises on the duo.
“Victor Osimhen and Lookman are wonderful and scary together, they are a fantastic couple just like in the Nigerian national team,” he told Corriere dello Sport via footballnews24.
“The match between Napoli and Atalanta will take place and I’m sure that they will both be decisive even if they don’t score a goal, assist or shot on goal.
“These types of footballers have a great peculiarity, namely the way they condition and defend. Osi is devastating because no one would do a one-on-one with him in the open field.”
Napoli have won their last four league matches against Atalanta so securing a win that takes them above their opponents in the table is the hosts’ main target on Saturday.