Napoli's Lobotka: 3 newspapers, 3 return dates

Good evening, Napoli supporters, this is Napoli Tonight for Friday 30 October.

Who holds the midfield together in Turin on Sunday? Not Lobotka. He hurt his left ankle at Monza, and the club has announced a sprain with no timeline. Three papers, three answers. The Corriere dello Sport says about six weeks. Sky Sport points to mid-December and the Coppa Italia, Italy's cup competition. Il Mattino reports two lesions and does not expect him back until 2027.

The Corriere dello Sport already has its answer: De Bruyne in front of the defence. We are not convinced. It takes quality from the attacking midfield and asks a player who has never done the screening job to do it. We scored four at Monza, yet a team with thirty-five per cent of the ball had twelve shots.

The better news is Amir Rrahmani. He came off at half-time with a blow to the sternum, and the medical staff say it is no cause for concern. He aims to be ready for Sunday. With him, Napoli concede about point seven goals a game. Without him, about one point seven. With Buongiorno, Badiashile, Spinazzola and Favasuli out, nothing matters more this week.

Off the pitch, Matt Rizzetta has a plan B. The Underdog founder says he is confident of buying Napoli, but does not want talks to drag deep into 2027. If they fail, he would buy Juve Stabia or Real Aversa, move the club and rename it after a defunct Neapolitan side. De Laurentiis wants around two billion euros. Underdog values the club at between one and one point three billion. Our reading: a second Neapolitan name in the city is, above all, a way to push the price down.

So, Sunday. Juventus against Napoli at the Allianz Stadium, a quarter to nine in the evening CET. Both sides are on fourteen points. Simone Sozza referees, and Landucci is on the bench again while Allegri serves his ban. Juventus lost two-nil in Genoa and are locked away at their training centre until the game. A side with everything to prove is not good news for us.

That's Napoli Tonight for tonight. Every story, in full, at arenarete dot com slash napoli slash e n. Back tomorrow evening at eight o'clock CET.