Nicolás Otamendi under pressure, no room for mistakes against Napoli | OneFootball

Nicolás Otamendi cannot make mistakes against Napoli. The captain of Benfica is on the brink of receiving more yellow cards, and if he gets another one against the Neapolitan team, he will be automatically suspended for the Eagles' next match in the prestigious tournament, which will be the challenging trip to Juventus' home ground.

The newspaper A Bola writes, this Tuesday, December 9, that Benfica's focus against Antonio Conte's team is on an offensive avalanche, aiming to achieve the only goal that matters: to win, to keep alive the dream of reaching the next phase of the Champions League. However, there are other issues that deserve the staff's attention.

José Mourinho will certainly bet on Otamendi's starting position in the red defense, as he is an indisputable piece; however, the Special One will be aware of the Argentine's disciplinary record, and any improper conduct in the match at Luz could cause the number 30 to miss the ticket to Turin.

The absence of the captain in the match against Juventus, if he sees the third yellow card against Napoli, would be a significant loss for the Eagles. On the other hand, following the draw conceded in the derby, where Benfica made mistakes that led to the Lions' goal, the red squad feels they have learned their lesson and wants to react against the Neapolitans.

Nicolás Otamendi — currently valued at 1 million euros — is at risk of being unable to help the Eagles in the next duel. This season, the number 30 has already played 24 official matches with the Sacred Mantle, between national competitions and the Champions League. In the 2,160 minutes he was on the field, the Argentine scored two goals.

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