Napoli defensive woes: Beukema doubtful v City, Meret to return | OneFootball

Just over 48 hours away from the highly anticipated Champions League debut against Manchester City (Thursday 9pm, Etihad Stadium), Antonio Conte's Napoli must contend with a new setback in defence.

Napoli, defence emergency for Conte: Beukema doubtful against City, Juan Jesus the only certainty. Meret on the way back

Good news for Napoli ahead of the Champions League clash with Manchester City scheduled for Thursday evening.

Goalkeeper Alex Meret has fully recovered after his Saturday forfeit against Fiorentina. The last line of defence has returned to group training and will be available for the match at the Eithad and for the league game against Pisa.

According to La Repubblica, Sam Beukema is struggling with the flu and his presence is in serious doubt. The Dutchman, who replaced the injured Rrahmani in the victorious trip to Florence, risks stopping just on the eve of the European night.

Defence stripped to the bone

With Rrahmani still unavailable and Marianucci not included in the Champions list, the only fully fit centre-back left is Juan Jesus. Conte is considering alternative solutions: moving Olivera to the centre, as happened last year, or moving Di Lorenzo back.

A forced and complicated choice, especially considering the opponent: Guardiola's Manchester City, one of the strongest and most complete teams in Europe.

Meret tries to grit his teeth

In goal, however, there is encouraging news. As reported by Corriere dello Sport, Alex Meret has returned to training after the muscle fatigue that forced him to miss the clash with Fiorentina.

The Friulian goalkeeper, absent as a precaution at Franchi, aims to be available as early as Thursday evening. The final decision will be up to Conte, who will have to choose whether to bring him back immediately or confirm Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who made his seasonal debut in the blue jersey.

Conte between forced choices and European ambitions

The eve is not the most serene for the Azzurri coach. The European debut represents an important test also for his ability to manage the double competition, a topic on which there have been no shortage of criticisms and doubts in recent years.

With a defence in emergency and a high-intensity challenge at the door, Conte will be called upon to make courageous choices, relying on the solidity of the group and the experience of his leaders.

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