Napoli director Giovanni Manna prepares for the showdown with Atalanta, but warns they do not want to ‘wait too long’ with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia contract renegotiations.
It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 11.30 GMT.
The Partenopei have won eight of their last nine Serie A matches, including a midweek 2-0 victory away to Milan at San Siro, and Antonio Conte sticks with the same starting XI against Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta.
“We are first of all happy, as this is a positive period of form and these are matches that give us an idea of the level we are at right now,” Manna told DAZN.
“These are two of the best coaches in Italy and it should be a pleasure to watch for the neutral. Atalanta are doing very well in Serie A, the Champions League and won the Europa League, so this is a big test.”
Napoli expecting Kvaratskhelia response soon
The big issue around Napoli at the moment is the future of Kvaratskhelia, as his agent has been discussing a massive new contract, but the talks are dragging on longer than expected.
“We are talking to Khvicha and his entourage. We made an offer in July and are talking now. We would not want to wait too long, as we want to remain focused on the current campaign and keep the player focused too,” added Manna.
“We expect the situation to evolve rapidly, otherwise we will wait until the end of the season, when the player still has two years left on his contract and then make our own evaluations.”
This can be read between the lines suggesting that if Kvaratskhelia does not accept the improved deal, then Napoli are prepared to sell the Georgia international next summer.
Scott McTominay has been the best signing of the summer so far and prompted many Manchester United fans to feel some pangs of regret at his departure.
“Scott is an important player, he arrived from Manchester United, so it’s not like we discovered him. He is intelligent, has physical strength, covers the field well and settled really well into Italian football.
“We believe McTominay can do even better than he already is, he should not feel any pressure, but be allowed to continue working the way he is.”