Napoli owner wants top players rested against Manchester City

16 October 2017 - 16:15 By Reuters
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Napoli's coach from Italy Maurizio Sarri attends a press conference on the eve of the Champion's League football match Napoli vs Feyenoord on September 25, 2017 in Naples.
Napoli's coach from Italy Maurizio Sarri attends a press conference on the eve of the Champion's League football match Napoli vs Feyenoord on September 25, 2017 in Naples.
Image: Carlo Hermann / AFP

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis wants coach Maurizio Sarri to rest his top players for their Champions League match at Manchester City on Tuesday, saying they have other priorities.

Napoli lead Serie A after winning their first eight games and De Laurentiis suggested that Saturday's home league match against second-placed Inter Milan was just as important.

"I think that in this game, the players with more playing time should be rested in order to preserve them," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The Inter match is around the corner and it is just as important. We have to approach the Inter match in a more considered way," he added.

"In Europe, we should only worry about getting to the next stage, not about winning every match."

City lead Group F with six points from two games, followed by Napoli and Shakhtar Donetsk who have three each while Feyenoord have lost their opening two matches.

The top two in each group qualify for the last 16.

"I say that we need to evaluate everything and adopt the right strategy," De Laurentiis added. "I'm lucky to have a coach who's a great strategist.” 


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