Mattia Zaccagni will miss Napoli vs Lazio after tests pointed to a left-thigh muscle injury, with reporting on the expected layoff ranging from 3-4 weeks to about a month. The Lazio captain limped off in the weekend win over Cagliari, and the club said he has already started treatment and will be reassessed in the coming days.
Lazio's captain out of the trip to Naples
The injury is a real blow because Zaccagni has been one of Lazio's main attacking outlets this season. He has 2 goals and 5 assists in 10 Serie A appearances, a return that has helped keep them in the title race.
Lazio are top of Serie A with 28 points after 10 matches and arrive on five straight league wins. Losing their captain now means they go into Sunday without one of the players who has driven that run.
The club's medical wording also leaves little room for optimism. Lazio described the issue as a lesion of the left femoral quadriceps, while other reporting referred to a muscular lesion in the left thigh. Either way, the message is the same, he is not available for the trip.
Napoli also have fitness problems
Napoli are dealing with their own absences before Giovanni Di Lorenzo's side host Lazio on Sunday. The club said scans found a strain injury to the long adductor muscle of the left thigh, and rehabilitation has already begun.
Di Lorenzo has 0 goals and 2 assists in 10 Serie A appearances this season, so Napoli lose a regular contributor as well as a captain figure. They are eighth on 14 points after 10 matches, which makes the meeting awkward for both sides even before kickoff at the Diego Armando Maradona.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
