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Mazzarri: 'Napoli respect Torino now'

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Mazzarri: 'Napoli respect Torino now'

Walter Mazzarri feels “justice” has been served with the revocation of his touchline ban, while Napoli’s decisions prove they “respect Torino now.”

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The Granata were scrambling for someone to sit on the bench after both Mazzarri and his assistant manager Nicolò Frustalupi were suspended.

However, an appeal saw both their bans revoked and they will be on the touchline at the Stadio Grande Torino against their old club.

“I feel justice was served, as I hadn’t done anything. The technical area at Parma is extremely small, so I instinctively took a step forward and didn’t realise I’d crossed the line. It felt unfair to ban me for that,” said the Coach in his Press conference.

Mazzarri had already been given a yellow card for dissent, so became the first Serie A tactician to be sent off since the new bookings rule was introduced.

That occurred during a chaotic 3-2 defeat to Parma on Monday evening, so Gelson Bremer is suspended after his dismissal.

“We had hoped not to face Napoli after a defeat, but we lack consistency. Among our main problems is that we don’t face the minnows the same way we would the leaders, we don’t have the same attitude, but we absolutely ought to.

“In a way, Napoli have the same issue, as we saw that if they are fully concentrated, they can beat Champions of Europe Liverpool. I was proud to see that some of Carlo Ancelotti’s choices against Genk midweek were geared towards preserving players for the weekend, as it means they respect Torino now.”

There are also some familiar faces, because Simone Verdi left Napoli over the summer, having failed to break into the first team last season.

“Verdi did some good things against Parma, including the assist for Cristian Ansaldi. He is getting into shape. Iago Falque still isn’t quite himself yet and isn’t fit enough to start, but if we need to, he can come on after the break.

“Napoli are ferocious on the counter-attack and can play at extraordinary pace because of their technique. We must be wary not to lose the ball when building out from the back.”

Simone Zaza is not part of the squad after picking up a calf injury in training, so Verdi is more likely than Alex Berenguer to support Andrea Belotti.

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