Mazzarri looks to squad rotation

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri is ready to rotate his squad in the coming weeks to avoid injuries.

The Naples-based club face a hectic schedule over the next month with matches in the Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia.

And Mazzarri is ready to make changes – perhaps starting on Sunday at Genoa – to keep his squad fresh.

“We have players who have already played five games in a row and from now onwards we’ll have another seven matches in 27 days – one every three days,” Mazzarri said.

“I have to work out how best to rotate my players if I don’t want to risk them getting injuries or performing badly. From this weekend I’ll start taking this issue into consideration too and you’ll see what choices I’ll make.”

Mazzarri’s side thumped Genoa 6-1 in their last meeting but the Napoli boss believes the result will not have an impact on Sunday’s match.

“I don’t think our 6-1 victory at home will influence Sunday’s match at Genoa,” he said.

“I think they will try to play at their best, and rightly so, because they have respect for us. They know our value and will compete because that’s football.”

“Every team must give everything that they have and approach each match with the aim of winning it. I think both Genoa and Napoli will try that on Sunday.”