Manchester – On the eve of tomorrow night's Champions League clash between Manchester City and Napoli at the Etihad Stadium, Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo spoke at a press conference, expressing confidence but also an awareness of the difficulty of the match.
Haaland's shadow and City's strength
"We're happy to be back in the Champions League ," said Di Lorenzo. "We know we'll be facing a top-class striker like Haaland, but he's not the only one: City are all strong. We'll have to work as a team, stay united, and defend as best we can."
A challenge that promises to be very tough, against Guardiola's team that has dominated in England and Europe in recent years.
“We have our weapons”
The Italian captain isn't intimidated: "We're really eager to compete against the champions. We'll try to play the game, implementing what the coach asks of us. We have our weapons: there will be moments when we'll have to defend and others when we can attack. The important thing will be to make as few mistakes as possible and maintain maximum concentration throughout the match."
Di Lorenzo also spoke about Kevin De Bruyne, who has a distinguished past at Napoli: "He presented himself with humility. He didn't talk to us much about his teammates, but I'm sure he'll be happy to return to this stadium. He deserves a warm welcome."
Finally, a mention also to the words of Antonio Conte, who on the eve of the match had underlined the strength of the opponent: "Donnarumma talks about a strong Napoli? It will be difficult for us too. But we're ready."
The article talks about an important match between Manchester City and Napoli, but I don't know if Napoli is ready to face such a strong opponent as Haaland. The team needs to be alert and work well together to have any chance.