Gigi De Canio expects “the perfect Udinese performance against Napoli,” but Antonio Di Natale misses out yet again.
It kicks off at the Dacia Arena on Sunday at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Football is a beautiful sport precisely because it gives the weaker sides the opportunity to beat the stronger outfits,” said the new Coach in a Press conference.
Gigi De Canio expects “the perfect Udinese performance against Napoli,” but Antonio Di Natale misses out yet again.
It kicks off at the Dacia Arena on Sunday at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Football is a beautiful sport precisely because it gives the weaker sides the opportunity to beat the stronger outfits,” said the new Coach in a Press conference.
“What is most important for me to see tomorrow is a good performance, building on what we saw last time against Sassuolo.
“It’s not just grit or clinical finishing that lets you find the way to goal, but also a cool head. We trained a great deal this week on how to create and score goals.”
However, hitman Di Natale is not even in the squad to face his hometown club, something that has become almost a bizarre tradition in his career.
“I won’t tell you he was injured, because I want to tell the truth. I need players who are able to make their mark throughout the game and train always at the max. I don’t know Di Natale’s past training routine, as I’ve only been here for three weeks, but I verified certain situations within the team.
“As the side was going through a difficult period, I need everyone to work for the team and not for an individual player. It is what I also asked of Di Natale. He has some difficulties on a physical level and the moment he is able to prove his consistency and attitude, I’d be crazy to do without his quality.
“It’s a great shame for me to leave out someone of his quality, but I need a certain criteria when making my decisions. The same goes for Maurizio Domizzi. I think this is how we’ll save Udinese.”
Napoli have no problem finding goals, as proved by the fact Gonzalo Higuain alone (29) has scored more than all of Udinese put together this season (26).
“We must try to have the perfect performance against Napoli and the quality of the opposition will further motivate us. Udinese often do well against the big clubs.
“Higuain is one of the best strikers in the world, so it’s normal we have concerns about his presence, but if you stop him then they have other players who can make the difference. Napoli’s real strength is in their movements as a team.”
Udinese squad for Napoli: Karnezis, Meret; Adnan, Armero, Danilo, Edenilson, Felipe, Heurtaux, Pasquale, Piris, Wague, Widmer; Badu, Balic, Fernandes, Hallfredsson, Kuzmanovic, Iniguez, Lodi; Matos, Perica, Thereau, Duvan Zapata