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By Anthony Nlebem.
Napoli head coach Luciano Spalletti has expressed delight over the return of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who has been given a clean bill of health to play in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against arch rivals AC Milan at the Diego Armando Maradona.
Osimhen suffered a muscle injury while on international duty with Nigeria last month, during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea-Bissau and missed Napoli’s first leg Champions League quarter-final match against Milan.
The former VfL Wolfsburg striker is enjoying a fantastic season in Serie A and has become an integral part of Spalletti’s squad.
The 24-year-old tops the highest goals scorers chart in Serie A with 21 goals in 23 matches and his form is powering the Partenopei to their first historic league title in three decades.
The prolific striker made his return from injury in the Partenopei’s Serie A game against Hellas Verona last Saturday, coming on for 25 minutes of the eventual 0-0 draw.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of today’s cracker, the 64-year-old Italian tactician hinted the team lacked fluidity and believed that Osimhen’s comeback will boost the team’s attack.
“He (Osimhen) gave that burst of enthusiasm that our fans rightly attribute to him by now and he immediately showed that he was in the game,” Spalletti said.
“He needed these 25 minutes of running to be ready to play on Tuesday. It’s clear that we will also see the players in training.”
Osimhen has scored four goals in five Champions League appearances to help the Partenopei reach the Champions League last eight, and his presence could boost the Partenopei attack as they struggled to score goals in his absence.
The Parthenopeans have scored only two goals in their last three matches without the Nigerian.
