race

Conte: ‘Scudetto race a great stress to have for Napoli’

Antonio Conte feels the Scudetto race with Inter is ‘a great stress to have’ for Napoli. ‘The followers sense the staff goes past its limitations and that may solely be appreciated.’

It kicks off on the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Monday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

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The stress is again on the Partenopei to remain within the Scudetto race after Inter swept previous Cagliari 3-1 on Saturday, as final week each groups had been held to attracts, protecting the hole on the high intact.

Empoli are battling for each single level that may very well be essential to pull them out of the relegation zone, however are and not using a Serie A victory in 2025.

“There are risks in each sport, as from now to the top of the marketing campaign, each staff has an goal it wants to realize, whether or not it’s preventing for security, a spot in Europe or the Scudetto,”

The coach has been adamant for the reason that begin of the season that Napoli didn’t anticipate to be on this place, so he joked when requested if he believes they will win the final seven matches.

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“I had began out pondering we may win all 38,” laughed Conte. “Nevertheless, that can’t occur, even simply going unbeaten for an entire season is one thing that’s terribly uncommon. There are setbacks, attracts and defeats, that is pure.

“We’ve been pretty constant this season, there have been spells the place we had a run of consecutive victories, however the truth is that we’re up there, which implies our journey has been an excellent one. Empoli will come right here with knives drawn, so it’s a very troublesome fixture, as each level will be the distinction between security and relegation at this stage.

“It’s all the time harder within the second half of the season, as a result of there may be extra strategic pondering, the video games are much less open. We’ve all studied one another rigorously at this level.”

Napoli ought to take pleasure in Scudetto stress, insists Conte

epa12016577 Napoli’s Frank Anguissa (L) celebrates together with his teammate Scott McTominay after scoring the 0-1 objective throughout the Italian Serie A soccer match between Bologna FC and SSC Napoli, in Bologna, Italy, 07 April 2025. EPA-EFE/SERENA CAMPANINI

Conte reiterated that the stress should all be on Inter, who’re nonetheless within the operating for the Treble of the Serie A title, Champions League and Coppa Italia, slightly than Napoli.

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“We’re the direct antagonists of Inter and can attempt to do one thing extraordinary, to place that stress on them. It means we’re doing remarkably properly, in a state of affairs the place we’re requested to transcend our capabilities to maintain up with a staff that proved it’s constructed to win all the pieces in Europe too.

“It’s a great stress to have, there may be enthusiasm among the many followers, the dream of competing for the Scudetto is firing them up. We earned this stress, this battle of nerves, and we should additionally take pleasure in preventing for one thing necessary.

“The followers can sense that the staff goes past its limitations and that may solely be appreciated.”

epa11898868 Napoli’s head coach Antonio Conte throughout the Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli on the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 15 February 2025. EPA-EFE/Riccardo Antimiani

Napoli have proven an inclination to battle within the second half of their current matches, with this was a mentality drawback slightly than a bodily one.

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“If the second half was an issue, then we’d have zero factors in opposition to Juventus, Inter and Atalanta,” replied Conte in right this moment’s press convention.

“Matches final for 90 minutes plus added time. It’s inevitable that at occasions we will management leads a bit higher, both as a result of we dominate and the opponents need to reply, or that we predict we will defend a bonus and with out which means to we begin to sit deeper. That’s true of all groups, not simply us.

“We should let the lads perceive we proceed Plan A, even when we’re main 1-0 or 2-0, the stress and possession shouldn’t change. Admittedly, that’s simpler to say than to do, nevertheless it’s a part of the expansion course of.”

, with Conte confirming the defender is predicted to be on the remedy desk for “one or two weeks,” however Leonardo Spinazzola returns.

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The necessary information is that Scott McTominay has shaken off the knock he sustained within the 1-1 draw with Bologna.

“McTominay is okay, we hope he can get again to scoring objectives, as he had so many probabilities in current matches. We want his objectives too,” concluded Conte.