Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli warns they ‘cannot’ risk a slip-up against Spezia after beating Liverpool and explains how ‘conditions changed’ to sign Kvicha Kvaratskhelia.
It kicks off at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT).
Following the 4-1 demolition of Liverpool in the Champions League, there is the risk that Napoli could have a European hangover in Serie A against minnows Spezia.
“It’s a risk we cannot take, we must remember every game is worth three points, that we lost here against Spezia last season, so knowing that we must be even more wary,” Giuntoli told DAZN.
Kvaratskhelia will receive an award before kick-off as the Serie A Player of the Month for August, having contributed four goals and an assist in five games.
The 21-year-old Georgia international was purchased for only €10m from Dinamo Batumi, having joined them from Russian club Rubin Kazan in March.
“We knew of his quality and hoped he would have this impact. We’d been following him for a long time, there were some very big asking prices, but then unfortunately the war broke out, the conditions changed and we intervened to lock him down.”
Several non-Russian players were given the option of leaving Russian clubs after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Kvaratskhelia was one of those who felt the need to go elsewhere.