As Serie A prepares to resume after the break, Napoli carry the heaviest muscular-injury burden in the division. Nine players are currently unavailable, with six of those absences linked to muscle problems, leaving the champions with a familiar concern from last season as the calendar begins to tighten again.
Napoli’s long list before the return to league action
Favasuli is the latest Napoli player to stop, having suffered a second-degree tear to the rectus femoris in his right thigh. His expected return is towards the end of November. Several teammates are working towards earlier dates, although not all will necessarily be available immediately.
- Alisson is recovering from a moderate injury to his left hamstring and is expected to need around another two weeks.
- Frank Anguissa has a myofascial injury to the adductor longus. He could return for the match against Frosinone, but his availability remains uncertain.
- Vergara picked up a soleus problem after his first start for Italy and is likely to be out for roughly two weeks.
- Mathías Olivera has suffered a strain involving the right external obturator.
- Alex Meret is the closest to returning after an adductor longus injury and could leave the treatment list for Napoli’s next fixture.
Frosinone, Napoli’s upcoming opponents, have two muscular cases of their own. Terzic is recovering from a low-grade left hamstring injury and may not be ready in time to face Napoli, while Grillitsch is targeting a November return following September surgery for rectus-adductor syndrome.
Atalanta, Juventus and Venezia manage significant absences
Atalanta have three players sidelined by muscular complaints. Kossounou has a left hamstring injury and is not expected back before late November. Hien, who underwent surgery at the end of June for a problem affecting the proximal semimembranosus tendon in his left thigh, still has more than a month to wait. Raspadori is closer, with his hamstring strain expected to keep him out for no more than a couple of weeks.
Juventus have seven injured players overall, although three of those cases are muscular. Boga and Ekhator each face a longer absence after moderate-grade injuries: Boga to the hamstring and Ekhator to the semitendinosus. Both are expected to be unavailable for at least another 40 days. Cabal, meanwhile, is nearing recovery from a low-grade semimembranosus injury.
Venezia also have seven players unavailable, with three muscular issues among them.
- Dagasso has discomfort in his flexor muscles connected to a previous knee inflammation, and his condition is still being assessed.
- Busio suffered an intratendinous injury to his right hamstring and is expected to miss between two and three weeks.
- Bella-Kotchap is coming back from adductor discomfort in his right thigh and could be included in the squad against Atalanta.
Inter are waiting on two relatively short-term recoveries. Hakan Calhanoglu has an adductor overload, while Stones has flexor-muscle discomfort. Both could return either this weekend or the following one.
Different situations across the middle of the table
Sassuolo have seven players on the injury list, but only Volpato and Idzes are dealing with muscle problems. Volpato is close to returning after a right thigh flexor injury; Idzes has a left quadriceps injury and is likely to be out for another two to three weeks.
Torino remain without Che Adams, who has been sidelined for several weeks by a low-grade adductor strain. The international break has aided his recovery, but he remains doubtful for Udinese’s visit. Fortini will not be available after reporting adductor fatigue while on Italy Under-21 duty.
Udinese have four unavailable players — Davis, Piotrowski, Gueye and Zaniolo — though only Davis and Zaniolo have muscular issues. Zaniolo has a right hamstring injury and is expected back within two to three weeks. Davis has a problem in the flexor area, with no firm return date yet set.
- Bologna have only Odgaard out with a muscle injury, a right-thigh flexor problem that should allow him to return in the second half of October.
- Cagliari’s Kevin Carlos is their lone muscular concern. No detailed diagnosis has been released and he is unlikely to be available against Juventus after the break.
- Genoa’s Meichtry has a hip-muscle strain, the seriousness of which has not yet been determined. He will miss the Fiorentina match.
- Lazio expect Danilo Cataldi to miss the Monza game because of a quadriceps issue, with the following fixture seen as a more realistic target.
- Berisha missed matches against Monza and Milan because of muscle fatigue but should be available again for Bologna.
Clubs without a muscular-injury concern
Not every side is facing the same physical strain. Parma’s Nicolussi Caviglia remains out following late-August surgery to address pubalgia, but it is not a muscular injury. Cesc Fabregas has a fully available squad for the next league match against Roma.
Paolo Vanoli does not have every player at his disposal because Parisi is recovering from a cruciate-ligament injury, though that absence is likewise unrelated to muscle damage.
Milan have no muscular injuries in their squad. Sassuolo coach Amorim will nevertheless be without Saelemaekers, who requires surgery on his right ankle, and Estupinan, who is nursing a knee problem.
Ciurria, Pessina and Ziolkowski are all currently injured, but none of their cases are muscular. Ahead of the direct meeting with Como, Cristante is the only unavailable player, due to knee inflammation. Wesley, meanwhile, appears to have recovered from his recent muscle discomfort.
