Lorenzo Insigne will play against Arsenal

Lorenzo Insigne
Lorenzo Insigne

What's the story?

Napoli were drawn alongside Arsenal in the Europa League quarter-finals and there were initial fears that team captain Lorenzo Insigne would not be able to play against the English giants.

In case you didn't know..

Lorenzo Insigne was originally set to start in Napoli's Europa League Round of 16 second leg match against Red Bull Salzburg. However, he had to be replaced by Dries Mertens prior to kickoff as the Italian striker felt a bit off during warmups. It was then discovered that the Italian striker had suffered a thigh injury and he has not played since. He was also forced to miss both of Italy's Euro 2020 qualifiers and will be out for the Partenopei's important Serie A match against Roma on Sunday as well.

The heart of the matter

With many questioning Insigne's status, head coach Carlo Ancelotti ensured both media members and journalists in a press conference on Saturday that his captain would be back for the crucial affair against the Gunners - despite suffering another setback.

Insigne had the tests this morning and it was just a small setback. There are no particular lesions, only a slight adductor issue. The problem he had last time was in the tendon area, so this is far less serious and he should be OK within two or three days. We’ll see whether or not to use him against Empoli, but he is not at risk against Arsenal.

What's next?

Napoli will play three Serie A matches over the next week against Roma, Empoli and Genoa, before taking on Arsenal at the Emirates on April 11th. The second leg will take place a week later in Naples on April 18th. Only time will tell if Insigne will really be ready to go, but Ancelotti's words on Saturday has to be reassuring for concerned fans.

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