Antonio Conte isn't looking for excuses or letting his guard down. On the eve of tomorrow night's Champions League match against Chelsea at the Stadio Maradona, the Napoli coach is sending a clear message: the Azzurri have no intention of dropping out of Europe's top spots.
"We have to be optimistic. None of us are thinking about exiting the Champions League," he explained to Sky. "We've reached the final match with a chance of progressing, and we want to make the most of that opportunity.
The Champions League is prestigious, it's an important showcase and the boys know what that means." According to Conte, the support of the fans will be crucial: "The stadium will be full and Maradona will have to make them feel what it means to play here. We'll have to give our all to overcome a very high obstacle."
Napoli is playing for qualification in an emergency situation, with a skeleton squad. "We're facing everything with a very small squad. If the championship started today, Napoli would be ranked between eighth and tenth place," Conte emphasized. "It's a difficult situation, but we want to fight and impress, like in Arabia, where we won the Italian Super Cup in an emergency situation. In the long run, it's inevitable that we'll pay for this, but now we're just focusing on giving it our all."
The Italian coach doesn't hide the difficulties he's experienced in recent months: "It never gets worse. We thought we'd seen it all in December, then Neres' injury and the operation. You have to be ready even when the wind blows against suggestions and problems. When the waves are high, you have to be good at navigating."
Conte asks his players to believe in it all the way: "I can't fault the lads for anything. We're disappointed by the result in Copenhagen, but now we're facing the club world champions. We have to give it our all, knowing we have a strong ally like Maradona."
There's also been controversy over Luciano Spalletti, who recently reportedly called Napoli "former champions of Italy." "That was unfortunate," Conte replied. "We still have the Scudetto on our chest, and we must show respect. Spalletti is a great coach, but he needs to be more careful when he speaks. We have sixteen games left: if he sees us so poorly, we're sorry. Good luck to him."
On the tactical front and the injury crisis, Conte remains cautious: "I can evaluate several options, including a two-man striker. Without Neres, we lack creativity; we're evaluating the transfer market. Lukaku isn't yet 100% after his tendon problem; we need to be cautious." Some hope comes from the infirmary: "Giove can give us a hand; Anguissa has extended his playing time due to a back problem. We have plenty of ideas, but we need effective players."
The verdict will be tomorrow evening. Napoli faces a daunting task, and Conte faces yet another test of endurance. In the Champions League, with Maradona ready to push, the goal is one: to continue to impress.
NAPLES – Public transport strengthened for the challenge between SSC Napoli e AS Roma, scheduled for Sunday evening at the Maradona Stadium. After the final whistle, Metro Line 2 will extend its service with seven additional runs to facilitate the outflow of fans from the Fuorigrotta area.
The initiative, announced by Trenitalia – Regional, born from the collaboration with Campania region e City of Naples and is part of the mobility management plan for major city sporting events. A total of 3.400 additional seats will be made available compared to the regular service.
Naples – What was supposed to be a morning dedicated to solidarity has transformed into a clear political and industrial positioning. On the sidelines of the presentation of the "Sanghe Pe Napule" campaign, Tommaso Bianchini, Chief Revenue Officer of SSC Napoli, drew a clear line between the ambitions of Aurelio De Laurentiis' club and the recent...
The renovation of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium is now in full swing, and Napoli is preparing to play a leading role off the pitch as well, ahead of the 2032 European Championships. The City of Naples has presented the progress of the redevelopment project at the Fuorigrotta stadium to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), reassuring fans and club alike on a key point: during the work, Napoli will continue to play its home games regularly at the city stadium.
The update was presented during an online meeting between Palazzo San Giacomo and federal representatives. The presentation was led by Infrastructure Councilor Edoardo Cosenza, who detailed the plan for the facility's internal transformation, which will significantly change the stadium's appearance and functionality.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
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