CorSport – Napoli: Hojlund out vs PSV, Lucca gets another chance | OneFootball

CorSport – Napoli, Hojlund also out against PSV: new chance for Lucca

Rasmus Hojlund will also miss the trip to Eindhoven: no risks, the muscle fatigue that ruled him out of Saturday’s game against Torino warrants cautious management, given the long run of fixtures that continues on Saturday with the big match against Inter at the Maradona and the related risks. So tomorrow it will once again be Lorenzo Lucca leading the line against PSV. It’s the third game of the Champions League league phase and, above all, the first of two closely spaced tests of great importance and equal delicacy in terms of objectives and answers. The path, however, remains full of obstacles: and so, after Lobotka and Rrahmani, Napoli will also have to do without Hoj. The attacking focal point, enjoying the best start to a season in his career with 8 goals in 10 games, is thus forced to stop just when things were going best: the issue he felt on Saturday can’t disappear in two days—too little time and too many risks—and so Lucca will immediately have a chance to wipe away the rough night in Turin.

Lorenzo’s performance—like that of other teammates, to be fair—was not up to the occasion, but this is precisely the moment when he must bring out the fighting spirit and ferocity he possesses. Traits shown many times with Udinese and appreciated also against Pisa, on the night of his only goal in blue: now the first joy in Europe is needed. Napoli needs Lucca, and Lucca needs to shake off the inevitable pressure tied to the summer investment to sign him (€35 million), the expectations, and the leap to a more demanding and ambitious stage. His first Champions League start in place of Hojlund, after his overall debut in the competition against Sporting, is certainly a golden opportunity but also a responsibility, and performing in the Netherlands may well be an environmental advantage. He is, after all, at home there: he played for Ajax, lived in Amsterdam, and scored one of his two Eredivisie goals in the 2022–2023 season against PSV. Specifically, his very first for the Lancers, at the Johan Cruijff ArenA: it was November 6, 2022, Lucca came on in the 81st minute and scored the 1–2 in the 83rd. It didn’t prevent the defeat, but it marked the beginning of a path. Against PSV, truth be told, he has always lost: in Eindhoven, in the return match, and on penalties in the KNVB Beker final (the Dutch Cup). He also scored against PSV with Ajax U21: it all helps—and will help—the morale.

Carlo Gioia

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.