Reina returns to Napoli training ahead of Hellas Verona match

Last weekend, Pepe Reina missed out on the Napoli loss to Udinese, and his absence was profoundly felt. On Friday, it appeared that he would miss out this weekend as well as he hadn't trained -- but Saturday was a different story. Reina returned to the Castel Volturno training pitch and has a chance to play against Hellas Verona on Sunday.

It's far from a guarantee -- Reina will still have to pass a fitness test in the morning to be cleared -- but it's a big boost to Napoli's confidence heading into a crucial match. They'll already be without Maurizio Sarri, Gonzalo Higuain, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Dries Mertens via suspensions, so getting Reina back in the side would be a badly needed injection of stability and leadership.

If Reina can't go, Gabriel will be able to start as he's been in training all week -- but fans will be hoping that he plays much better than he did last week.

The full squad of 22 players available against Hellas Verona is listed below.

Goalkeepers: Pepe Reina, Gabriel, Rafael Cabral

Defenders: Elseid Hysaj, Christian Maggio, Faouzi Ghoulam, Ivan Strinic, Vasco Regini, Raul Albiol, Vlad Chiriches, Sebastiano Luperto

Midfielders: Mirko Valdifiori, Allan, Jorginho, Marek Hamsik, David Lopez, Alberto Grassi, Nathaniel Chalobah

Forwards: Omar El Kaddouri, Jose Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne, Manolo Gabbiadini