Champions League, Napoli emergency: Politano and Rrahmani out, Elmas doubtful

Napoli – After the hard-fought league victory against Sassuolo, Napoli immediately turns the page and dives into the Champions League. But they do so in a state of emergency: the infirmary continues to fill up, and Antonio Conte prepares for the trip to Copenhagen with only a limited number of players.

In today's recovery session, the main news is the double blow from the league match: Matteo Politano and Amir Rrahmani will not be leaving for the Denmark match. Both have reported muscle problems; the center-back is expected to miss at least two weeks, while the winger could be out for up to a month.

The match in Copenhagen, scheduled for 48 hours from now, is a crucial moment: it's the penultimate match of the championship phase and holds a crucial position in the playoff race. Furthermore, the Scandinavians arrive feeling more rested, as the Danish league is on hiatus for the winter break.

The gap in the Champions League standings is slim: Copenhagen are 24th and Napoli are 23rd, tied at the same level after six games, with the head-to-head clash taking on the appearance of a real do-or-die.

The number of absentees, however, is staggering: in addition to Politano and Rrahmani, Conte must do without the long-term absentees De Bruyne, Gilmour, Anguissa, Lukaku, and Meret, as well as Neres, who is trying to return for next weekend's big league match against Juventus. That's not all: Elmas, who has been sidelined by the flu, also remains to be resolved. It will only be clear in the next few hours whether he will be available for selection.

With a reduced squad and few alternatives on the bench, choices are effectively forced. And there's also a management issue: some starters are starting to feel the strain of consistency, like Hojlund, without a real replacement after the Lucca defeat and his transfer window, and like McTominay and Lobotka, who have no equally caliber replacements ready to deliver the same performance.