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Victor Osimhen was missing in action as Napoli drew at home to Union Berlin. Here are three ways the Super Eagles striker could have impacted the game if he had played.
Napoli have been held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Union Berlin in their Group C encounter.
The Neapolitans are of course without their injured talisman Victor Osimhen but still took the lead in the first half through Mateo Politano's goal in what looked set to be a routine win.
David Datro Fofana equalised for the visitors early in the second half to earn their first Champions League point of the season and end their 12-game losing streak.
However, many believe Napoli would have won the game had Osimhen played and here are three ways he specifically could have changed the course of the match.
3 ways Victor Osimhen could have changed the game for Napoli
Victor Osimhen's finishing
Obviously, Victor Osimhen's ability to put the ball into the back of the net is what Napoli miss the most about him.
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That gift of Osimhen's would have come in quite handy for Napoli who created 1.53 xG from 26 goal attempts, five of which were on target.
Osimhen scored six goals in 9 games across all competitions before his injury while his replacement Giacomo Raspadori has four goals in 15 games so far with three of those goals coming in the five games Osimhen missed.
Raspadori is a solid deputy but he's no Osimhen and it showed tonight as the Italian had two shots blocked and one off target in a poor showing.
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15:02 - 08.11.2023
Why Napoli and Garcia need Osimhen now more then ever
Victor Osimhen and Napoli might have had their fair share of tussles this season, but Rudi Garcia needs him back as soon as possible to make the Blues dangerous again.
Victor Osimhen's presence
Not to be harsh on Raspadori but his 90 minutes of action against Union Berlin is one to forget as he simply did not have the tools to keep the defence on their toes.
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The recurring theme of Osimhen's career so far is hard work and he would have run himself into the ground in search of the winning goal for Napoli.
Raspadori played the full 90 minutes and didn't win a single aerial duel, which would be unimaginable if Osimhen were on the pitch.
Osimhen's presence as the eighth-best player in the world according to Ballon d'Or naturally makes him a more fearful opponent, add to that his tenacious style of play then the Union Berlin defence would have had too much to worry about.
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Victor Osimhen's clutch gene
Beyond scoring goals, Victor Osimhen has developed a knack for scoring important goals when the stakes are high and the chips are down.
Three of Osimhen's six goals so far this season have either been equalisers or the goal to put Napoli in front in a game.
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This is a small example of Osimhen's knack for scoring important goals which Napoli could have used against Union Berlin had he played.
As good as Rapadori and Giovanni Simeone have been, Osimhen leaves some pretty big shoes to fill and so far they have struggled to do just that.
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