Europa League: Spalletti allays Osimhen fears as Super Eagles star is set to face Barcelona

The Nigerian striker missed the Neapolitans final training on Wednesday, but he is expected to play a part in the clash against the Spanish giants 

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti has allayed any fear of a potential injury to Victor Osimhen after the Super Eagles striker missed the club’s final training ahead of their first leg Europa League clash against Barcelona on Thursday.

The Italian Serie A side take on Xavi’s men at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their round of 32 clash, but their star striker missed training on Wednesday.

Osimhen missed training due to an injury, but Spalletti has now revealed the 23-year-old sat out of training as a precaution and he is still in contention to play against the Catalan giants.

“Osimhen doesn’t have a muscle problem, he was rested as a precaution, Spalletti said at his prematch conference via Napoli’s Twitter page.

“We’ll look at him tomorrow,” he added.

🎙 #Spalletti: “@victorosimhen9 doesn’t have a muscle problem. He was rested as a precaution. We’ll look at him tomorrow” #BarçaNapoli #UEL

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/N0ODljyWEY

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) February 16, 2022

Losing Osimhen would have been a blow to Napoli ahead of the match against Barcelona as the Nigerian only just returned from a facial injury that ruled him out of action for two months.

The Nigerian international is Napoli’s top scorer in all competitions this season with ten goals in 18 games. Four of the goals came in the Europa League stages.

Osimhen’s presence in the squad will boost Napoli’s chances of causing an upset against the five-time European champions.

The Nigerian will also be seeking his second goal against Spanish opposition, having scored against Valencia in the Champions League while he was at Lille.