Gattuso Says That Napoli’s Players Believe in Their Ability to Defeat Granada

Gennaro Gattuso’s Napoli takes on La Liga side Granada in the 2nd leg of the Round of 32 in the Europa League. The Italian side lost the first leg by a two-goal margin, but their manager is confident about his player’s ability in the second match.

The Italian manager will be the first to admit that his team is playing below par. In a press conference ahead of the game, Gattuso told reporters that the team has struggled for consistency throughout this season and he believes that the criticism against himself and his players is warranted.

The manager also says that the injury crisis with which the team has been afflicted in recent weeks shows no signs of improving. Kalidou Koulibaly and Faouzi Ghoulam have made a return and should be available against Granada. However, striker Victor Osimhen has picked up a fresh injury and joins the numerous players that will be unavailable tonight.

Gattuso is happy with the progress made by Dries Mertens. The Belgium attacking-midfielder has dealt with serious ankle problems since December. The manager says that Mertens has trained briefly with the team and that there’s a chance he could play a part in tonight’s game.

Finally, the Italian manager, says that he and the players know full well how difficult it will be to overturn a two-goal disadvantage against Granada. However, he believes that his players are fully motivated to cause an upset.