Juan Jesus claims Milan were ‘trying to provoke’ Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, but this time they have Victor Osimhen and aim to ‘keep the ball.’
It kicks off on Tuesday at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).
The Rossoneri won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ismael Bennacer, but the away goals rule is no longer applied in Europe.
That means if they end the tie level on aggregate, they will go to extra time and perhaps even penalties.
At the start of the press conference, it was pointed out that Juan Jesus was in the Roma squad that overturned a 3-1 first leg defeat to eliminate Barcelona in the Champions League.
“It is a different story, because it was five years ago and now I am focused on helping Napoli. I can say five years ago everyone thought it was impossible and we achieved it, whereas this should be simpler.
“We’ve been proving all season what Napoli are, we are 22 points ahead of them in Serie A, so must be aware of our capabilities and how we got here.
“I don’t think we need an appeal, the fans know they must push us from the stands and we’ll give our best on the field. Just remember the performance against Juventus was also because of the extra push we received from the crowd,” he said of the 5-1 Serie A victory.
Compared to the first leg, and to the 4-0 Serie A defeat here on April 2, the Partenopei have Victor Osimhen back in the squad.
“I think that is a problem for the Milan defence, as Victor is our top scorer, he is in good shape and always shows that grit and hunger to do more.
“Milan were trying to provoke and cause trouble in the first leg, we responded by playing football and that is what we will do tomorrow. We do need to be smarter and sharper, with that special Neapolitan determination,” added the Brazilian.
“They have a strong attack with Rafael Leao, Giroud, Brahim Diaz, so we need to be wary of their counter-attacks. However, the best form of defence is to keep the ball, as they can’t do anything without the ball.
“Leao is a very complete, powerful player with great dribbling skills, so he is their most dangerous player.”
The Brazilian defender is expected to start in place of suspended Kim Min-jae, while Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa also sits out a ban following his red card at San Siro and Giovanni Simeone is injured.
“Kim is a great player, but I don’t think I am such a step down. I’ve been playing in Serie A for 12 years, I’ve faced much tougher matches than this and I’m aware of my characteristics too.”
Juan Jesus only recently signed a new contract with Napoli and is forming a great bond with the city.
“It feels like being in Brazil, as there is such passion. I hope for the next two years to give my best. Milan was my first European city, I spent five years there. My son was born in Rome, so I have a special bond with all the cities I have lived in.”
The countdown is on for the Scudetto celebrations, the first title won by Napoli since 1990, but they had seemed to be leading before faltering badly in April last year.
“We’re well aware of what we are doing and can sense in the city that chance to bring joy after over 30 years. We still have a few more lines to be filled in, but are ready to make it a special April, unlike last year.”