Carlo Ancelotti’s defensive plans have been thrown into disarray with word that Kalidou Koulibaly has been handed a two-match ban after being sent off in Napoli’s match against Cagliari.
The Partenopei fell to a shock 1-0 defeat at home to the Isolani, dropping them six points off the pace of league leaders Inter.
Their attempts at getting back on track haven’t been helped by the fact that Koulibaly was sent off in the 88th minute.
The Senegalese star has been handed an even stiffer ban as he was deemed to have directed “outrageous” comments toward the referee while leaving the pitch.
As a result he will miss Napoli’s upcoming matches against Brescia and Torino, along with being forced to pay a €10,000 fine.
This news will no doubt come as a blow to Ancelotti as Nikola Maksimovic and Lorenzo Tonelli are both out with injuries.
The favourite to start in Koulibaly’s place is 23-year-old Sebastiano Luperto, though Elseid Hysaj could also be moved from full-back to the middle of the defence.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com