Hojlund eager to partner Lukaku in Napoli frontline

Rasmus Hojlund believes he could form a strong partnership with Romelu Lukaku if the pair started together for Napoli.

The Belgian striker is yet to feature for the Scudetto holders this season after suffering a thigh injury towards the end of pre-season.

Lukaku scored 14 goals in their title-winning campaign, more than any other Napoli player and the joint-fifth most in the league.

The former Manchester United forward is edging closer to a return, and ahead of their trip to Juventus on Sunday, Hojlund insisted there is no reason why the two cannot start together in the future.

"He [Lukaku] helped me a lot so far, since he's come back from the recovery in Belgium, he's been around the group a good bit," Hojlund told DAZN Italia.

"We complement each other on the pitch. It could be a good thing both as a competitor for places, but also playing alongside each other.

"It's not for me to decide, but when I get asked if we can play together, I say yes. I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do it."

Napoli are currently third in Serie A, four points ahead of Luciano Spalletti's Juventus, who are in sixth.

"I'm waiting for a really important game for us, but also for them. It's a chance for us to again prove we belong at the top of the table," added Hojlund.

"Juventus has been doing really well under the new manager and we're looking forward to go there and hopefully prove ourselves again."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Juventus – Kenan Yildiz

After scoring in the reverse fixture, Kenan Yildiz could become the fifth Juventus player to score in both Serie A seasonal matches against Napoli in the three-points-for-a-win era, after Cristiano Ronaldo (2019-20), Alessandro Del Piero (2000-01), Darko Kovacevic (2000-01) and Fabrizio Ravanelli (1994-95).

The Turkish forward has also registered seven goals and four assists in his 20 Serie A games this season – exactly the same tally as in the whole of last season but across 35 appearances.

Napoli – Rasmus Hojlund

Following his brace in the reverse fixture last December, Hojlund could become only the third Napoli player to score in both Serie A matches against Juventus in a single season in the three-points-per-win era, after Marek Hamsik (2009-10) and Lorenzo Insigne (2020-21).

However, the Danish forward has now gone five league games without scoring, and has not gone six consecutive matches without finding the net in Serie A since April-May 2023 (when he played for Atalanta).