Di Lorenzo ready for first Napoli start after 100 days of injury

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated May 7, 2026 7:12 AM ET

Thursday’s reports confirm that Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo is ready to return to Antonio Conte’s starting line-up in Serie A this weekend as the Italy international marks 100 days since his most recent injury.

Di Lorenzo finally set for Napoli return

Di Lorenzo has been out of action for exactly 100 days, dating back to his side’s 2-1 victory against Fiorentina in Serie A on January 31. The Partenopei captain was taken off with a knee injury during that game with fears that he might have damaged his cruciate ligament (ACL).

Fortunately for Di Lorenzo, the issue was diagnosed as a hyperextension, significantly less severe than an ACL tear, but, the right-back decided to have surgery anyway in order to fix a foot injury which had been causing him pain for much of the 2025-26 season.

UDINE, ITALY – DECEMBER 14: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of Napoli on the pitch ahead of the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and SSC Napoli at Stadio Friuli on December 14, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

The knee injury and surgery on Di Lorenzo’s foot have kept him out of action for the last 12 Serie A matches. He returned to the matchday squad for Napoli’s 0-0 draw against Como this weekend, but remained an unused substitute.

Now, according to updates from Corriere dello Sport , Di Lorenzo is now in line to return to the Napoli starting line-up for this weekend’s match against Bologna. The 32-year-old had played for the full 90 minutes in all 22 of Napoli’s Serie A matches prior to his injury.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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