Pellegrini suffers high-grade thigh tear before Roma's trip to Napoli

The midfielder will be reassessed in two to three weeks. Gasperini will also be without Svilar, Dybala and Koné at the Maradona on Saturday 24 October, kick-off 18:00 CET (17:00 UK, 12:00 ET).

by Gennaro SanninoThursday 22 October, 19:11 CET· 5 hours ago

Pellegrini, lesione di alto grado: la Roma arriva al Maradona senza Svilar, Dybala, Koné e il suo centrocampista — Grafica Arena Napoli

Pellegrini will be out for longer than expected. Scans show a high-grade tear at the distal muscle-tendon junction of the semitendinosus in his right thigh. Recovery will be long, and the Roma midfielder will have further tests in two to three weeks to establish how serious the injury is.

It was already known that he would miss Saturday's game. Now it is clear that Roma will come to the Maradona without Svilar, Dybala, Koné and Pellegrini. They are still third on 17 points, seven more than Napoli, and arrive with a better league position and better morale.

That is the point. Other teams' absences cannot become an excuse, and they cannot become a source of hope either. Napoli's own injury list is long: Alisson Santos, Buongiorno and Favasuli are out, Rrahmani is fatigued and Vergara is a doubt. This is the second test the club has set for Allegri, and against a Roma side this short of players, a slip at home would hurt even more.