Rome: Gonzalo Higuain (below) should build on his sterling Serie A season to push his way into Ballon d’Or contention, says his coach at Napoli Maurizio Sarri.
Napoli sit top of the league for the first time since 1990, when Diego Maradona led the ‘Partenopei’ to their second and last league crown, after Higuain hit a brace in a thrilling 2-1 victory over 10-man Inter Milan last week.
The league leaders are expected to be welcomed by 16,000 travelling fans in Bologna today when they look to maintain a one-point lead over Inter, who host Genoa in Saturday’s late game. The game will give Argentina international Higuain a platform to build on his impressive league-leading tally of 12 goals.
And a week after saying Higuain was “among the top five strikers in the world”, Sarri told media: “For me he’s the strongest number nine in the world. He has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or. If he doesn’t win it in the future, he’s a complete idiot.”
A win for Inter will see Roberto Mancini’s men take back top spot ahead of Napoli’s trip north, but Sarri has warned it could be a banana skin. Bologna are undergoing a renaissance following the appointment of ex-Parma handler Roberto Donadoni and Sarri says he won’t be taking their hosts lightly.
“It’s an insidious encounter, for various reasons, perhaps the hardest of the games we’ve played so far,” he said. “Bologna play with a lot of enthusiasm and have top quality players. Plus we have spent a lot of energy up until now and the lads are starting to feel it.”
