CorSport – Napoli, Buongiorno out for three games, Conte reshuffles defence… | OneFootball

CorSport – Napoli, Buongiorno out for the next three games: Conte studies the defense…

Barely had the time to savor the return of Rrahmani when his twin had to stop: Alessandro Buongiorno will be the big absentee from Sunday's match at San Siro against Milan. And not only that: «The player underwent instrumental tests at the Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a low-grade lesion of the long adductor muscle of the left thigh and has already started the rehabilitation process», the diagnosis communicated yesterday by Napoli. In total, considering the results of the tests conducted after the injury sustained on Monday against Pisa, Buongiorno will be out for three weeks and will also miss the Champions League debut at Maradona against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday and the last league match before the international break, scheduled for Sunday, October 5, again in Fuorigrotta. Expected return: in Turin against Torino after the break, Saturday, October 18, in his stadium, in his city, against the team where he grew up and was a young captain. The leading candidate to take his place, at least for Milan, is Juan Jesus.

Losing a pillar like Buongiorno, especially on the eve of a very dangerous clash and at a time when he was returning to his standards, is a significant setback, but the low grade of the lesion and the possibility of using the break to speed up his recovery are certainly partial consolations. Lucidly, coldly, that's how it is. But try telling him that: he had already missed Gattuso's first round of World Cup qualifying call-ups, being physically behind, and now he will have to skip the second as well. What bad luck. After the early July surgery for groin pain, Alessandro returned to the field only on August 30, less than a month ago, in the second half of the match against Cagliari. With an assist for Anguissa. Then, following that, three in a row from the first minute against Fiorentina, City, and Pisa. A moment of peace, from his point of view, considering all the troubles faced since the previous championship: out for 16 matches between an ankle sprain, the fracture of the transverse processes of two lumbar vertebrae, and a muscle problem that also excluded him from the championship finale. His last match was precisely against Torino at Maradona, on April 27, only to stop again in the second half. Torino is always in his destiny, evidently. Counting from mid-December 2024 to today, he has played just 11 out of 27 matches (10 as a starter).

The first obstacle to overcome now is called Milan, not just any team: in place of Buongiorno, as we said, the return of Juan Jesus from the first minute is almost certain, the man who systematically played during his absences. Including the start of the championship. At San Siro, however, Conte will be able to count again on Rrahmani, who was out against Fiorentina, City, and Pisa after the muscle problem suffered with Kosovo during the first break. In short, an important absence will correspond to an equally important return. As for the rest, aside from the ongoing doubt between Meret and Milinkovic-Savic, the returns of Anguissa and Lobotka to midfield from the first minute are also certain.

Carlo Gioia

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