Dries Mertens returns to Napoli squad against Sampdoria

Napoli fans have been wondering for three weeks when they'll see Dries Mertens on the pitch again, and finally we have a glimpse at the answer: maybe tomorrow.

Two weeks after sustaining a serious concussion while playing for Belgium against Wales, Mertens has been named to one of Napoli's matchday squads for the first time since that hellish hit. He'll be available for selection against Sampdoria, a side that has surprised many in Serie A this season as they've used a squad of mostly under-rated and homegrown players to rise to fourth place in the league heading in to this weekend.

It's unlikely that Mertens will be ready to start just yet, but having him available off the bench again will be good to see. Napoli have missed his spark while he's been out, and while Jonathan De Guzman and Marek Hamsik have done yeoman's work on the left in his absence, neither is gifted with the instincts of a wide player like Mertens is.

Otherwise, the squad is as we've grown used to seeing it. Lorenzo Insigne and Michu are rehabbing from their respective surgeries, and Camilo Zuniga is still doing whatever the hell he's doing that doesn't seem to be making his knee any better. And hey, Josip Radosevic is in the squad again! So that's... something. Poor kid.

Goalkeepers: Rafael Cabral, Mariano Andujar, Roberto Colombo

Defenders: Christian Maggio, Giandomenico Mesto, Miguel Britos, Henrique Buss, Kalidou Koulibaly, Raul Albiol, Faouzi Ghoulam

Midfielders: Josip Radosevic, Gokhan Inler, Walter Gargano, David Lopez, Jonathan De Guzman, Jorginho, Dries Mertens, Marek Hamsik

Forwards: Jose Callejon, Duvan Zapata, Gonzalo Higuain