Kalidou Koulibaly declared fit to face Atalanta

A certain imposing figure has been missing from the Napoli squad for the last two matches, with Kalidou Koulibaly out thanks to an injury he picked up early in the first leg of the tie against Dynamo Moscow. His absence was keenly felt at the weekend against Hellas Verona, and he definitely would have been useful as Napoli weathered a significant storm against Dynamo on Thursday.

Fortunately, that gap in the heart of Napoli's defense will be filled this weekend, as Koulibaly has been declared fit to face Atalanta on Sunday. After missing a week with his ankle injury, the Frenchman is ready to go out and put his mark on the game again. With several big matches looming, getting Koulibaly fit and in good form is going to be extremely important to the rest of Napoli's season.

Who else lines up in defense for Napoli could be interesting to see. Faouzi Ghoulam looks like he needs a rest, and Raul Albiol could probably use a day off as well. But with Ivan Strinic hurt, Camilo Zuniga not fit enough to start, and neither of Henriqe or Giandomenico Mesto playing very well of late, Rafa Benitez is likely going to have a rather bad headache as he tries to figure out who to start where on Sunday.