Napoli's key striker, Victor Osimhen, may not have a definite starting position in the Champions League match against Real Madrid on Wednesday, despite his recent return to Serie A, as stated by new coach Walter Mazzarri on Tuesday.

Osimhen made his comeback in Saturday's 2-1 victory against Atalanta after being sidelined for a month with a thigh injury.

However, Mazzarri, who recently took charge for his second stint at the club, replacing Rudi Garcia, expressed ongoing concerns about the Nigerian striker's condition.

"Tomorrow I will talk to the doctors and Osimhen," Mazzarri told a press conference. "We will see if he will be able to do a quarter or a half. Such an important player should not be overloaded. We'll see whether to start him or bring him into the game."

Mazzarri said the Group C match in Madrid would be no easy task for Napoli after they lost 3-2 to Real in their last meeting in October.

"Tomorrow we have a very important head-to-head against one of the strongest teams in the world and we will see where we stand. In the meantime, let's start winning again," he said.

Mazzarri offered words of admiration for his Italian counterpart and Real Madrid's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, aged 63, as well as expressing appreciation for the team's 20-year-old midfielder, Jude Bellingham.

"It is clear that Bellingham is phenomenal; he can become great. Ancelotti, he's the best, because he is the one who has won it all. But it's not me and him on the pitch; the teams will face each other and we'll see what happens.

"Real on paper are one of the strongest in the world. How do you put Real in difficulty? Tomorrow, when we take the field, we'll see."

Napoli are second in the group with seven points, five behind Real and four ahead of Braga, who host bottom side Union Berlin on Wednesday.