Spinazzola Out as Napoli Faces Fiorentina Amid Injury Crisis

Napoli’s growing injury list has claimed another key name. Leonardo Spinazzola will miss Sunday’s trip to Fiorentina after suffering a mild strain in the hamstring of his right thigh.

The club confirmed on Friday that the full-back did not train with the rest of the squad, with tests revealing the muscular issue. Reports in Italy, including Il Mattino and Sky, state the 31-year-old will not be available for the lunchtime kick-off in Florence, scheduled for 12:30 CET (11:30 BST).

For Napoli, it’s another setback at exactly the wrong time.

Injury problems mount

Spinazzola’s absence adds to a worrying list. Frank Zambo Anguissa is still training on his own and is also highly unlikely to feature at the Artemio Franchi, Napoli said.

He is not alone. Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci, Scott McTominay, Giovane, Alex Meret and Alisson Santos are all set to miss the trip, leaving the coach with a patched-up squad for a difficult away fixture.

What was a routine team announcement has turned into a roll call of absentees.

Momentum under threat

Napoli had just begun to steady themselves. A hard-fought 1-0 win over Bologna at the Stadio Maradona last weekend stopped a run of three straight defeats in all competitions and offered a hint of momentum.

Now they head to Florence without several first-team options, including their experienced Italy international on the left flank. The response in Tuscany will say plenty about how robust this revival really is.