SERIE A

Osimhen’s Napoli may win Serie A title even before their Thursday away match with Udinese

Published

1 year ago

May 2, 2023

Napoli v Salernitana - Naples, Italy - April 30, 2023 Napoli fans in the Spanish quarters during the match REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Victor Osimhen and his Napoli team-mates are on the brink of claiming their first Serie A title in 33 years despite failing to win at home last weekend, and they may not even have to play to get their hands on the Scudetto this week and kick off a long-awaited party in Naples.

The league leaders are 18 points ahead with only six games left to play, and they will be crowned champions if second-placed Lazio fail to beat Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, a day before Napoli themselves play away at Udinese.

Luciano Spalletti emphasised how sluggish his once invincible squad were after a tough month in April where they managed only two wins in seven games in all competitions and crashed out of the Champions League.

“We are currently lacking the sharpness and quality that we had earlier in the season because just like a marathon, the final kilometre is the toughest,” he said.

Depending on the Lazio result, Spalletti said he may rest senior players, while Matteo Politano and Mario Rui will most likely miss the clash due to injuries.

Udinese could attempt to spoil Napoli’s party just as Salernitana did at the weekend and salvage some points from a lacklustre campaign with the team now 13th, well away from both the relegation zone and the European qualification spots.

Top scorer Beto is expected to return from a back injury for the hosts, giving the home fans hope for a positive outcome.

JUVE DRY SPELL

After having their 15-point deduction overturned in April, Juventus now find themselves in a very different position as they jumped from seventh to third, reigniting their Champions League qualification hopes.

But they have taken only one point from their last four matches and lost to Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final.

“We had won many games in February and March. We were involved in three competitions until last week, which means the season is going well,” manager Massimiliano Allegri said.

On paper they are the favourites again when 16th-placed Lecce visit on Wednesday.

In their 1-0 victory against Udinese on Friday, Marco Baroni’s Lecce broke an eight-match winless streak but they remain only four points ahead of Hellas Verona in 18th.

Juve will welcome back winger Angel Di Maria from an ankle injury which kept him out of Sunday’s draw at Bologna as they seek goals, having scored only three in six games.

Lazio, who had been exceptionally consistent in the league in recent months, losing just one match since early January, have lost their last two Serie A games and seen their lead over third-placed Juve cut to just one point.

Maurizio Sarri will have an almost complete squad at his disposal against Sassuolo, including striker Ciro Immobile and defender Luca Pellegrini.

AS Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan are all on 57 points as they battle it out for the final Champions League spot.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter returned to fourth with a win over Lazio on Sunday and his side travel to Verona on Wednesday, while AC Milan welcome second-to-bottom club Cremonese.

Injury-hit AS Roma, who are sixth, travel to 10th-placed Monza on Wednesday while seventh-placed Atalanta host Spezia.

Reuters

SERIE A

Ademola Lookman wins Atalanta’s ‘Player of The Season Award

Published

4 weeks ago

June 27, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s Super Eagles winger and silver medal winner with the country at the last AFCON 2023 tournament in Cote D’Ivoire, Ademola Lookman, has emerged as the Atalanta Player of the Season.

The pint-size forward has won the converted award Back-to-back with the Bergamo-based side after his exploit in the domestic and European matches for the side.

Atalanta qualified for two finals with the Nigerian International playing an active role in the campaign.

He was instrumental to Atalanta winning the UEFA Europa League beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final with the Nigerian scoring all the goals.

The club announced on its official website on Thursday saying, “It’s him again, Ademola Lookman! The reigning champion defends his title and is crowned straight-a student for the second year in a row after staving off an unsparing competition, to the point of both bringing the contest to an overtime runoff and stepping the pose down up to the Instagram profile after the regular session ended in a tie. Kudos to Mola for his back-to-back Player of the Season!” it noted.
It went further that,” building on his 17 goals and 11 key passes in all competitions (making him the team’s second-best seasonal scorer and wingman) and with the hat-trick scored in the magical Dublin final as his main leg-up, Lookman tips the ItalianOptic branded crown once again,” the web remarked.

Aside from Ademola, the second and third-best positions were also announced as the midfield duo of Jose dos Santo Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners.

The Nigerian had a brilliant AFCON experience with Nigeria where he scored three goals and his exploits so far have put him in strong contention to win the next ‘African Footballer of the Year’ award which will come up before the end of the year at a venue yet to be announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen is the reigning winner of the award alongside Asissat Oshoola who retained the version.

SERIE A

Napoli reduces Victor Osimhen’s value

Published

1 month ago

June 24, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Former Serie A champions Napoli are reportedly ready to drop their asking price for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as his future grows ever more uncertain.

The 25-year-old is looking for a move away from Serie A but Napoli’s initial €150M release clause has warned off any potential suitors.

Quoting from another Italian outlet, Calciomercato, Getfootballnewsitaly reports that Napoli are ready to lower the initial valuation to €100M, in the hope that they can free up much needed transfer funds for new boss Antonio Conte, who is understood to be desperate to land Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.

It is also stated that the English Premier League sides, Chelsea who were understood to be in pole-position to sign the Nigerian international, has never opened any negotiation with the 2023 Serie A champions.

The only avenues open at this time seem to be the Saudi Pro-League, where a reported salary of €40M a season has been offered, or Paris Saint-Germain, with Osimhen not keen on either option, preferring a move to the English Premier League.

SERIE A

Osimhen’s Napoli European hopes end with 0-0 draw against Lecce

Published

2 months ago

May 27, 2024

Kunle Solaja

If Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen remains in Napoli in the next season, he will not have any action in UEFA competitions.

Napoli lost their slim chances to participate in European competitions next season when they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Lecce in their last Serie A game of the campaign on Sunday.

Last season’s champions Napoli finished 10th on 53 points, level with ninth-placed Torino who were beaten 3-0 at Atalanta in a simultaneous kick off on Sunday.

Despite their loss, Torino can now still earn a Europa Conference League playoffs spot if eighth-placed Fiorentina, who have a game in hand, win the Europa Conference League.

Fiorentina face Greece’s Olympiacos for the title on Wednesday.

Napoli needed a win to maintain their European hopes but despite 24 shots, five of them on target, they ended their disappointing campaign winless in their last seven games.

Substitute Cyril Ngonge had a good chance to give Napoli the lead just after the break but his shot from the edge of the box was saved by Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone.

Jens Cajuste hit the far post with a low strike shortly before Ngonge hit the bar in the 64th minute.

Europa League winners Atalanta, meanwhile, secured at least fourth spot after Gianluca Scamacca, Ademola Lookman and Mario Pasalic were all on target in a 3-0 win against Torino.

They sit fourth on 69 points but can still leapfrog third-placed Juventus, on 71 points, if they beat Fiorentina in their last remaining game next Sunday.

-Reuters