CASTEL VOLTURNO (CASERTA) (ITALPRESS) – “We are one game away from reaching the halfway point. What we have done so far should give us confidence and give us self-esteem to move forward. We have to continue on this path. There will be easier matches and others less easy. Tomorrow against Fiorentina will be a very challenging match considering that Palladino’s team is doing very well.” Antonio Conte has clear in mind the difficulty of the first engagement of 2025. His Napoli visits Fiorentina in Saturday’s early match (6 p.m.) in a round in which rivals, from Atalanta to Inter without forgetting Milan and Juventus, are engaged elsewhere. “We play first, but putting pressure on Inter or Atalanta is very difficult. Let’s think about ourselves, let’s put points on the board because we will need them at the end of the season. Our opponents are top clubs. Atalanta has reached a high level after winning the Europa League. I always respect others but I don’t fear anyone. Fiorentina is doing very well, producing a lot of speed during the game. They have strong players in the open field. They are doing very well. We have to try to show that in difficult moments like these, work can make up for the lack of three important players.” Already, the challenge of the Franchi increases in difficulty also because of the absences. “It’s been a week with some hiccups. Politano is not the only one, neither is Kvaratskhelia. Setbacks, injuries, are part of the season. So far we have been good at making up for absences. When it happened with Lobotka we were good with Gilmour. We are doing it with Buongiorno. We did it with Kvara previously. Now he has a muscle strain. And this round there is also the absence of Politano to make up for. We will try with teamwork to do better. Can Spinazzola be a solution? He was born a winger, he can be an option right now.” On the bench of the violets is Raffaele Palladino, the two know each other well, there is mutual esteem and the sharing of a path that has seen them as both players and coaches. “Did Palladino have nice words for me? When he arrived at Juventus I was spending the last years of my playing career. He set the bar high as a coach. He went from Primavera to the first team at Monza. He took a step forward by going to Fiorentina. I wish him the best always after the game we play. He is showing that he is a good coach. If we are at the top of the partial standings it must be said that we are fighting for the Scudetto. Palladino then is Neapolitan. We are happy to be up there and find coaches who say that.”- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
