Dries Mertens Set to Be Available for Genoa Clash as Napoli Play Down Shoulder Injury Fears

Napoli forward Dries Mertens looks set to be available for the weekend trip to face Genoa in Serie A, after recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained in the midweek Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

In that game, which ended all square at the Stadio San Paolo thanks to goals from Lorenzo Insigne and Juan Bernat, the Belgian went off in the 83rd minute with what appeared to be a somewhat serious shoulder issue. 

However, Napoli's official website (via Football Italia), played down fears over the injury, claiming the 31-year-old has merely sustained a 'slight sprain'.

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Having already gone in for treatment and an assessment, Mertens has been discharged, and thus should be fit for the Partenopei's trip to Genoa on Saturday.

Mertens has been crucial to Napoli's fast start this campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, collecting eight goals and three assists in his 15 appearances so far. His frontline teammate Insigne has been in equally impressive form, accruing two more goals than Mertens and the same amount of assists in one less game. 

The Italian's penalty against the French champions was his fifth consecutive score in the Champions League, but the 27-year-old did admit his nerves at facing his compatriot Gianluigi Buffon from the spot. 

Speaking to the club's official website, Insigne declared: “Let’s say I was a bit anxious, because Buffon knows me well.

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"I’ve often taken penalties against him in training with the national team. It went in – every penalty has a level of tension, no matter who the goalkeeper is. I hit it hard and accurately, and I’m happy."

Napoli sit third in Serie A, level on points with Inter and six points behind leaders Juventus.