Conte: ‘Intend to continue Napoli journey, this is 10-match tournament’
Antonio Conte warns Napoli their match with Lecce is the start of a ‘mini-tournament’ and reassures fans on his future. ‘My intention is to continue this journey.’
It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 17.00 GMT (18.00 CET).
The Partenopei had been stuttering in Serie A, but got back on track with two consecutive victories over Verona and Torino.
With the fixture list providing head-to-head battles and tough trips elsewhere, it’s a chance for them to consolidate third place.
Conte wants final Napoli flurry
“We are starting to recover players who were absent for a very long time. Inevitably, when you are out for that long, it takes time, so I need to evaluate the minutes I give them during the game,” Conte told DAZN Italia.
“I always tell the lads we must try to consider these last 10 matches as a mini-tournament where the Scudetto, Champions League, Europa League and Conference League places will be assigned.
“So we need to be very concentrated and try to do our best.”
Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa returns to the starting XI for the first time since November 2025, but Antonio Vergara and Juan Jesus have joined Stanislav Lobotka, David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Amir Rrahmani on the absentee list.
Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are only fit enough for a spot on the bench.
Conte has transformed his tactics several times throughout the season to fit the players at his disposal, so will he reshuffle the pack again?
“We were missing a fundamental element like Di Lorenzo, who along with Mazzocchi are the only players who can be full-backs, so we can’t have a four-man defence without Giovanni. Throwing away all the guarantees we’ve earned with this system now would in my view be dangerous and potentially damaging for us.”
There have been suggestions that Conte could be reconsidering his future for next season, having clashed with President Aurelio De Laurentiis a few times.
“When I arrived at Napoli, I signed a three-year contract, so that is the length of the project. Every end of the season, we sit down with the President, discussing and evaluating where we want to go. We’ll do it again at the end of this season, very calmly,” replied Conte.
“Everyone knows I am very happy in Naples, but at the same time, it is only right to evaluate the project and decide whether it is the right decision to keep going. My intention and desire is to continue this journey.”