Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen, is on the verge of achieving a significant milestone as he could score his 100th club goal when his Napoli side welcome Sassuolo on Sunday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Osimhen has shown his goal-scoring ability over the years, having already netted a remarkable 99 club goals across 192 appearances. Among these, he contributed 61 goals in 102 matches for Napoli. He scored 18 times in 38 appearances for Lille in France’s Ligue 1 and found the back of the net 20 times in 36 games while playing for RSC Charleroi in Belgium.
The 24-year-old continued from where he left off last season as he bagged a brace in their season opener last Saturday.
After a strong start to their defense of the title, Napoli is getting ready for their next challenge at Stadio Maradona, where they will face Sassuolo.
Following a victorious performance against promoted Frosinone on the opening weekend of Serie A, Napoli is aiming to continue their winning streak. In contrast, Sassuolo suffered a defeat against Atalanta in their first match of the season.
In their previous game against Serie B champions Frosinone, Napoli faced an early setback but managed to secure a win with the help of Osimhen’s brace.
Napoli fell behind to Frosinone after seven minutes before Matteo Politano equalised for Napoli setting the stage for Osimhen to take over.
Osimhen not only scored Napoli’s second goal but also doubled his tally later in the game, contributing significantly to their 3-1 away victory. His goal-scoring prowess will again be a crucial factor for Napoli as they aim to maintain their strong performance from the previous season.
Osimhen won the top scorer award last season becoming the first African to win the award and also broke a 14-year jinx of being the first player since Zlatan Ibrahimovic to win the Scudetto and the Capocannoniere same season.
Despite changes in leadership, with former coach Luciano Spalletti now leading Italy’s national team and Rudi Garcia taking charge at Napoli, the team’s focus remains on defending their title. While Napoli missed out on some key signings this summer, they are determined to build on their previous achievements.
Having just missed out on chief target Gabri Veiga who traded in a chance to represent the Italian champions for a lucrative spell in the Saudi Pro League, Garcia will therefore send a familiar-looking side out on Sunday, for Napoli’s season debut at Stadio Maradona.
The Campanian club are now aiming to win both of their first two fixtures for the ninth time in 13 seasons, and having gone unbeaten in their last five league games against Sassuolo recent precedent is certainly on their side.
In fact, Sassuolo have managed just a single victory against Sunday’s hosts in the teams’ 15 most recent Serie A meetings, losing on eight occasions.
Hopes of adding to that meagre haul seem slim, given the Neroverdi’s disappointing end to the 2022/23 season and last week’s home loss at the start of a fresh campaign.
Following a 2-0 loss to Atalanta, Sassuolo are enduring the longest ongoing streak without a win in the Italian top flight which stands at seven games, of which they have lost five placing pressure on head coach Alessio Dionisi to produce an upturn in results soon.
For Osimhen, this match presents an opportunity not only to contribute to Napoli’s success but also to achieve a personal milestone of 100 club goals. As Napoli seeks to build on their strong start to the season and continue their winning streak, all eyes will be on Osimhen’s performance and his pursuit of the centurion mark.
Should Osimhen find the back of the net in the game on Sunday (today), he will become the 13th Nigerian to have scored a 100 club goals joining Rashidi Yekini, Obafemi Martins, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Agali, Odion Ighalo, Jonathan Akpoborie, Osaze Odemwingie, Ikechukwu Uche, John Utaka, Efan Ekoku, and Victor Ikpeba.
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