Serie A leaders Napoli will be without injured Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen when they take on AC Milan in the first-leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final fixture on Wednesday.
Osimhen is yet to play for Luciano Spalletti’s team since their 4-0 defeat of Torino, where he scored a brace on March 19.
In Osimhen’s absence, Spalletti has called on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Hirving Lozano, Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori as his attacking options for tonight’s encounter at the San Siro Stadium.
I convocati per la trasferta di Milano ????#UCL #MilanNapoli pic.twitter.com/ntqyWfODW0
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) April 11, 2023
Meanwhile, Spalletti is counting on Osimhen’s teammates to rise to the occasion in Milan even without the Nigeria star.
“We have won very important games without Osimhen,” Spalletti said. “We are here because we have won without him in this competition, and I am expecting the same, that all my players rely on their teammates’ abilities.”
The 24-year-old returned from the last international break with a muscular strain after playing in Nigeria’s double-header fixture against Guinea-Bissau in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He missed the Partenopei’s 4-0 Serie A loss to AC Milan and their 2-1 win over Lecce.
Osimhen remains Napoli’s top scorer this season with 21 Serie A goals in 23 matches and four goals in five Champions League outings.
