Antonio Conte admits Napoli need to “dig deep” against Qarabag if they are to try and qualify out of the Champions League group phase
Antonio Conte admits Napoli need to “dig deep” against Qarabag if they are to try and qualify out of the Champions League group phase.
Antonio Conte is calling for his Napoli side to show massive improvements in their Champions League performances if they are to make it out of the league phase.
The Scudetto holders’ European campaign has been extremely poor up to now; a single win and four points from four games leave them sitting in the final play-off qualification spot.
Last time out, they suffered a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Frankfurt, a game in which they managed 18 shots compared to their opponents’ seven.
Conte is hoping that Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Atalanta in Serie A would help his team put on a better performance against a challenging opponent in Qarabag.
“Qarabag are a decent side,” said Conte.
“They’ve got a lot of foreign imports, and they’ve made a real impact on European football.
“We know that we’re up against a very tough opponent. We’re having to put in a lot of energy because we’ve been dealing with various injuries since the start of the season.
“Qarabag are a decent side. They’ve got a lot of foreign imports, and they’ve made a real impact on European football. We know that we’re up against a very tough opponent. We’re having to put in a lot of energy because we’ve been dealing with various injuries since the start of the season.
“We should take heart from beating Atalanta. We go into this game full of positivity, which can give us further motivation and morale to continue our journey in the Champions League. We’ll have to give our all tomorrow because it’s a vital match for us.
“We need the entire squad to be involved, and we must turn our situation to our advantage. We still have some key players out, but whoever takes to the field should be able to perform at their best in this match.
It’s time to dig deep and fight as one because tomorrow is a very important step for the Champions League standings.”
