Napoli’s Lobotka hopes to play ‘full match’ for Slovakia after injury | OneFootball

Stanislav Lobotka made his return from injury for Napoli as a second-half substitute during their 1-1 draw away to Inter last weekend and now hopes to play a ‘full match’ for Slovakia, who are set to take on Sweden in the Nations League on Saturday.

The 29-year-old replaced Billy Gilmour at the San Siro to get playing time for the first time since picking up a muscular issue during October’s international break, which kept him sidelined for weeks, and he admitted he thought he would ‘feel worse’ than he did after returning to the pitch.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – MARCH 23: Stanislav Lobotka, Ondrej Duda and Adam Obert (L-R) of Slovakia stand for the national anthem prior to the international friendly match between Slovakia and Austria at National Football stadium on March 23, 2024 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

While he admitted he needed to ‘be careful’, the response from his body was good, and he’s now eager to help his national team pick up a win that could see them leapfrog Sweden at the top spot in their Nations League group.

Lobotka feels ‘good’ after returning to action and wants to play ‘full match’ against Sweden

“I feel good; my muscles didn’t hurt upon returning, and that’s the most important thing,” he said at a pre-match press conference, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.

I had to be careful, but I knew I could be back for the Inter match, and now there’s Sweden. I’d like to play the full match; we’ll see if I can do it.

“There’s a difference between running with or without the ball, but I thought I would feel worse. It wasn’t easy to get into the game. I didn’t feel any muscle pain, which is the most important thing.”

Slovakia are level on 10 points with Sweden, and the two sides have shared the spoils in their first head-to-head, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Lobotka had started every game under Antonio Conte before getting injured in October, and he’s expected to take his place back after the international break.