Rrahmani returns to training and is set to start at Monza

The Kosovo defender missed the Roma game with flu aftereffects but trained fully with the group at Castel Volturno on Monday 26 October. Napoli's back line is short of options around him.

by Gennaro SanninoMonday 26 October, 16:24 CET· 3 hours ago

Rrahmani con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: areanapoli.it

Amir Rrahmani is back in the squad. The centre-back recovered from the flu aftereffects that kept him out of Napoli-Roma on Saturday, as the club confirmed, and trained fully at the Training Center in Castel Volturno (the club's training ground) on Monday 26 October. He is set to return to the starting line-up alongside Rafa Marín at Monza on Wednesday 28 October, kick-off 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET), at the U-Power Stadium.

The session opened with activation work, followed by an intense tactical and technical block to prepare for Juric's Monza. Around Rrahmani, the defence is thin. Badiashile has a medium-grade tear of the right rectus femoris, Spinazzola a low-grade tear of the biceps femoris in his right thigh, and Di Lorenzo is recovering from a knee contusion.

What one player means

The numbers make his return matter. With Rrahmani on the pitch, Napoli concede between 0.69 and 0.72 goals a game. Without him, it is about 1.7. Against Roma the defence conceded three, and the team has let in 17 in 11 games in the league and Champions League.

We do not want to pin a systemic problem on one man, but the figures say the team is exposed when he is missing. With Allegri in the stands through suspension and absences piling up, the back line is the first thing to check at Monza.