Luciano Spalletti assures Napoli will not ‘rest on our laurels’ against Roma, as this is a ‘head-to-head’ at the top of the Serie A table and an entertaining game for all to enjoy.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 GMT at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Partenopei are 12 points clear at the top of the table just halfway through the season, but Spalletti is not going to start celebrating yet.
“This is a head-to-head at the top of the table and a game to be enjoyed on a tactical and individual level,” said the coach in his press conference.
“The results of the other teams do not depend on us, so we must always act the same way, putting in great performances, being humble and taking it one step at a time. Nobody must take it lightly, we look only to the next game and not beyond.”
When asked what he believes the tally will be for Napoli to guarantee the Scudetto, Spalletti shrugged it off with a joke.
“I don’t know, I never was any good at mathematics! If we win, we have 53 points, that much I can do.”
Roma are on strong form at the moment, despite the Nicolò Zaniolo controversy, and have shown themselves to be particularly dangerous from dead ball situations.
“Roma have great players, a very practical coach like Jose Mourinho and someone like Paulo Dybala who can find those gaps in the defence. You can never try to control the tempo with them or think it’s in hand, because it can change in a heartbeat.
“They are also very physical and we know their strengths from set plays, just as they know us. What we must do is make the most of our own strengths and characteristics.
“If anyone was tempted to rest on their laurels, seeing Mourinho and Roma come along would sort them right out. Patience is needed to move the ball around and not run risks by losing it in the final third or when unbalanced.”
Mourinho celebrated his 60th birthday this week with a special cake in the Roma locker room at Trigoria, so Spalletti had a special message.
“I want to wish Mourinho a happy birthday. I was upset, he didn’t invite me, as I’d have turned up with a present! He is one of those people who raise the level of football on a global level, so congratulations and all the best to him.”
When they met earlier this season, a late Victor Osimhen goal proved enough to give Napoli all three points at the Stadio Olimpico.