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Napoli defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo is ‘ready to play’ against Barcelona tomorrow and reveals the Serie A giants want to beat the Catalans before the penalty shoot-out.
Luciano Spalletti’s men return to the pitch at the Stadio Maradona tomorrow, hosting Xavi’s Barcelona.
The first leg at the Nou Camp ended in a 1-1 draw last week, so both sides need to win to qualify to the next stage.
“I feel well, am ready to play,” Di Lorenzo said at a press conference. The former Empoli defender had been was forced off the pitch after a clash of heads with a Cagliari defender on Monday.
“We know that Barcelona are really strong. They have great players in one vs. one situations, so we must be ready for duels.
“That’s where football is going, so we must be ready to limit them. We must win, therefore we need to be attacking-minded.
“Their possession may force us to defend deep, but we must have courage and be aggressive, playing our cards right when we have the ball.”
Are Napoli practising their penalty kicks during training sessions in case the match goes to a penalty shoot-out?
“We practice after every training session, we are ready, but we want to win before,” the Italy defender said. “If it goes to a penalty shoot-out, I’d like to take one.”
This morning, Di Lorenzo returned to group training and is expected to start against the Catalans. Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Politano have also recovered from their injuries and will be available tomorrow.
Napoli, #DiLorenzo: “La botta presa? Ora sto bene. Pronti a dare l’anima per il nostro pubblico”https://t.co/NZh7XwZ46C
— Si Gonfia La Rete (@_SiGonfiaLaRete) February 23, 2022
