Conte: Napoli Believe in Scudetto, But Parma Are Always Tough

Antonio Conte has confirmed that Napoli still harbor hopes of winning the Scudetto. However, he issued a cautionary note, stating that the team has consistently struggled against Parma and anticipates a highly challenging encounter today.

The match is scheduled to kick off at the Stadio Tardini at 14:00 UK time (15:00 CEST).

Napoli currently sits in second place in the league standings, having secured five consecutive victories. They aim to maintain the pressure on league leaders Inter, who face a difficult away match against Como this evening.

Conte Remains Focused on Napoli's Objectives

“We need the right mentality, which is that we have an objective of Champions League qualification to achieve,” Conte told DAZN Italia. “We are second right now, it is inevitable we will look not only over our shoulders, but also at those in front of us. Naturally, those in front have their fate in their hands.”

Conte stressed the importance of patience and quality on the ball to overcome defensive formations and find openings. He mentioned that the team has been diligently working on strategies to penetrate tight defenses in training, highlighting the crucial need for balance to avoid leaving themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks.

While this weekend theoretically presents a favorable opportunity for Napoli due to Inter's tough fixture against Como and Milan's recent heavy defeat, Conte was quick to emphasize Parma's knack for proving to be a difficult opponent.

“This is one of the seven remaining games, so whatever result we get, we’ll be in a similar situation next week. What I can say is that in my two years at Napoli, we always had trouble with Parma. We drew 0-0 here last season, then 0-0 at home earlier this term. We have struggled to score goals against them, so I expect this to be a tough test,” Conte warned.