Mazzarri wary of wounded Lazio

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri will not be underestimating a weakened Lazio side in their Serie A clash on Saturday.

Edy Reja’s men are level on points with Udinese at the top of the Serie A table, but are missing star striker Miroslav Klose and defender Andre Dias for the trip to Naples.

However, Mazzarri is still wary of the threat posed by the Rome outfit and is putting Tuesday’s Champions League match against Manchester City to the back of his mind.

“Nothing changes without Klose. They’ll still have important players and we’ll be missing a few,” he said on Friday.

“We’re worried about the strength of Lazio. We’ll be playing against the league leaders, the most in-form side, but it won’t be a decisive game.”

“It’ll be a dangerous game. Lazio have done really well on their travels seeing as they’ve won their last four away from home.”

Mazzarri has concerns over star striker Edinson Cavani, who is recovering from fatigue after the international break, and the coach is unsure whether the Uruguay international will be able to play 90 minutes.

Napoli are currently in sixth place in the standings, seven points behind Lazio and table-toppers Udinese.

Reja, 66, is a former coach of Napoli, and he admitted the absence of Klose, who has found the net six times to start the campaign, would make it difficult for his team.

“Winning in Naples is already hard and with all these injuries, things get even more complicated,” he said.

“We will miss Klose, who is irreplaceable. (We’re) not looking for excuses, however, what counts is the mentality and we are often complicated by situations and come out well.”

“That tomorrow will be a final examination – a positive result will increase our self-esteem. It’s a match from the top, a very important test for us.”