Napoli prepare to face Barcelona in the return leg of the Europa League knock-out round play-offs and Football Italia looks at the three reasons why Victor Osimhen can help the Partenopei qualify.
The 23-year-old scored two goals in five appearances after returning from a cheekbone injury that had forced him to the sidelines for almost two months. The Nigeria international has scored seven goals in 16 Serie A games this term, adding four more in as many Europa League appearances.
He played 80 minutes against Barcelona last week and rescued Napoli in their 1-1 draw against Cagliari on Monday, coming off the bench for the last 23 minutes, scoring a late equaliser.
Osimhen is a complete striker who can cause danger to any defence thanks to his pace and physical skills. Barcelona’s defenders, who are not too fast, may struggle to nullify his threat in tomorrow’s game at the Stadio Maradona, where both teams will need to score to qualify for the Round of 16.
Osimhen or, ‘Osi’ as Napoli fans call him, has not only found the net 11 times in 20 games this term, but has also scored crucial goals for the Partenopei. He has one every 156 minutes and seven of his 11 goals were the first ones scored in the game.
The Nigeria international has already proved his worth in Italy and in Europe this season. He found the net in his first and only group stage games played at the beginning of the campaign, managing four goals in three matches, including a brace against Leicester City in Napoli’s first European game this term.
His goals have also brought Napoli 11 points out of 54 in Serie A, so the 20% of their total tally in the league. He is becoming a little bit more consistent, even if injuries have affected him during this two-year spell at the Stadio Maradona.
Osimhen has missed 37 games since the beginning of 2020-21 and his latest cheekbone injury kept him out of action from the end of November until mid-January. He will once again play with a protective mask against Barcelona tomorrow night, but his shape gets better from game to game and if there is a man for the job in tomorrow’s clash with Barcelona, it is definitely Osimhen.