Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Rafael Benitez: Gonzalo Higuain dropped as Duvan Zapata is in form

Napoli coach Rafael Benitez says Gonzalo Higuain is important to his side, but that Duvan Zapata is currently ahead of him in the pecking order because he is in better form.

Higuain has been left on the Napoli bench three times in the last five games, while Zapata continued his fine form with the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Parma on Thursday night.

"Gonzalo's a fundamental player for us, but Duvan's playing so well right now that it makes it much easier for me to pick him," Benitez told Sky Sport Italia. "Higuain's a champion who can always make the difference, but we knew that Duvan could do well."

Coppa Italia holders Napoli face Serie A champions Juve in the Supercoppa in Doha on Monday night and Benitez is facing a selection dilemma up front.

"They [Higuain and Zapata] could play together," he said. "It's a possibility that we've tried in a few games this season, but it is mainly down to them now.

"For me, the next game is always the most important and in this case, the Supercoppa is going to be the most important game of 2014, or at least it is now."

As he is in the midst of negotiations over a new contract, Benitez also elaborated on his prematch remarks that he had turned down several offers over the past few weeks, but said they were not from Liverpool or Valencia.

"They were not the teams mentioned in the papers," he said. "One was a club and the other was a national team, but I'm a serious professional and if they don't tell me that I can reveal their identities, then I'm not going to."

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