It was bound to happen at some point.
Although Napoli have had a very impressive start to the season under new coach Luciano Spalletti, the Partenopei have dropped points in their recent matches, with two draws from their most recent four prior to this past weekend's clash with Inter.
Ultimately, the ambitious club, who are hoping to present themselves as serious contenders for the Scudetto, were beaten 3-2 by the reigning Scudetto holders in a five goal thriller. Coincidentally perhaps, fellow table-toppers AC Milan were also beaten by the same score-line during their clash with Fiorentina, which means that Napoli can seemingly breathe a sigh of relief.
Or can they? The loss to Inter came at a huge price, as key striker Victor Osimhen suffered a nasty facial injury and now is set to reportedly miss at least three months of action following a extensive surgery required to address the multiple fractures to the cheekbone and orbital bone he sustained following a clash of heads with Inter defender Milan Skriniar.
In addition, given that the AFCON is just around the corner, it's highly unlikely Osimhen will be able to play for Nigeria during the January tournament.
But more pressing for Napoli is the fact that now, Osimhen, as well as skipper Lorenzo Insigne, will be out for their upcoming trip to Russia to face Spartak Moscow. While the Russian outfit are bottom of their table, Napoli only have a slim lead at the top of Group C, with Polish side Legia Warsaw (six points) and Leicester City (five points) in hot pursuit. Should they fail to beat the Russian team, Napoli could find themselves in second spot depending on who wins the Warsaw-Leicester match.
