|
Juve's hopes of getting a result in one of their trickiest away
games of the season was complicated by problems caused by the
international break.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri said earlier on Friday that five
South Americans – Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado, Rodrigo Bentancur,
Danilo and Alex Sandro – would be left at home after being
involved in international fixtures as recently as the early
hours of Friday morning.
Goalkeeper David Ospina was the only Napoli player to feature in
those games.
"It is clear that with these national team games, and the long
flights, some problems emerge. It will influence this round of
league fixtures, penalising some teams," Spalletti told a news
conference.
"It is a bit like going to the theatre and not finding the best
actors."
The two sides head into the game at the Stadio Diego Armando
Maradona in contrasting form, with Spalletti’s side winning
their two matches so far and Juve picking up one point.
"Anyone who has dreamed about football since they were a child
like me was dreaming about these big games, the taste of
rivalry. The players want to go out and play, we are in an
optimal situation," Spalletti said.
He added: "The players are very well. Those who had to do these
international matches and flights naturally have some muscular
and mental fatigue.
"Stanislav Lobotka is not very well, and we have to see with
Piotr Zielinski. There are others we have to evaluate. But there
are other players who have trained well to give an important
contribution in this match."
Spalletti revealed that new signing Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa
is set to make his debut against Juventus, having joined on loan
from Fulham on transfer deadline day last month.
"Frank, as he prefers to be known, has shown from the moment he
greeted his team mates that he belongs at this level," Spalletti
said.
"He will be very useful for us because we do not have a player
with his characteristics elsewhere in the squad. He is what we
were looking for to complete the midfield and tomorrow he will
play because he is ready."
(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
