Manolo Gabbiadini out, Gonzalo Higuain questionable against Cesena

Napoli are in a must-win situation on Monday against Cesena, but they might have to do it without two of their best attackers, as Manolo Gabbiadini has been left out of the squad and Gonzalo Higuain is a doubt.

Higuain is apparently suffering from a muscular issue that could leave him unable to start, forcing Duvan Zapata in to action. What's troubling Gabbiadini is unclear, but whatever it is, it's left him completely unavailable for the match. That means we'll likely see a Dries Mertens start on the wing, with either Lorenzo Insigne or Jose Callejon on the other side.

There's a fair bit of rotation expected for the rest of the squad as well, with Rafa Benitez wanting to give some players a break after the disappointment in the Dnipro tie and get key players rested for next weekend's tilt with Juventus. We're in full-on crunch time now, and everything is on the line. Napoli should be good enough even with a rotated side to beat Cesena, but we all know how well that particular type of hope has worked out for Napoli this season.

The usual trio of Jonathan De Guzman, Camilo Zuniga, and Michu are all still out injured. The full 21 man matchday squad is listed below.

Goalkeepers: Rafael Cabral, Mariano Andujar, Roberto Colombo

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

Midfielders: Jorginho, Walter Gargano, Gokhan Inler, David Lopez, Dries Mertens, Marek Hamsik

Forwards: Jose Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne, Gonzalo Higuain, Duvan Zapata