Luciano Spalletti is confident Napoli will not feel the pressure or become ‘presumptuous’ in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt. ‘Qualification is still 50-50.’
The second leg kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT.
It ended 2-0 in Frankfurt, so even without the away goals rule, the Partenopei would still need a spectacular capitulation to throw this away and not make the quarter-finals.
They are 18 points clear at the top of the Serie A table and have suffered only three defeats all season, slender results against Liverpool, Inter and Lazio.
“There is no secret,” smiled Spalletti in his press conference.
“In order to have a great team, you need great players, it’s impossible otherwise. Napoli did well to put together this group of great talents, then clearly you also need other qualities like humility, work rate, professionalism, the desire to help out your teammates and not make it about the individual.
“After that, you have to choose a design that you are organised around, for everyone to coalesce around that idea and work within it. If this then all fills the hearts of a passionate crowd like ours, then it all keeps feeding itself.”
Napoli have traditionally not done well in the Champions League, but this could propel them into the final eight and make them one of the surprise favourites to win the trophy.
“You can compare it to the first final of the season. It could decide a great deal for the team and put us in the history of this club. I don’t think that can put pressure on the side, because I’ve seen them deal with many positive and negative situations already this term, never getting sucked into the vortex of either reaction.
“Seeing as it is practically a final, I want to see the attitude of a team that is starved and wants a result. I’ve seen them in training all term and they never let their heads drop.
“Now the test is to forget what has happened in the past and focus on getting the job done now. Don’t forget Eintracht got through a group that had Tottenham, Marseille and Sporting. Last year they won away to a Barcelona side that eliminated us, so we have total respect for the work Oliver Glasner is doing, we know it will be tough.
“It would be terribly presumptuous for us to assume we’re already in the next round, that is not the way we do things. Tomorrow we need the head, the heart… and a bit of luck.”
Eintracht Frankfurt are further damaged by the absence of suspended striker Randal Kolo Muani and injured Jesper Lindstrom.
Giacomo Raspadori will not be risked even on the bench, while Spalletti confirmed Alex Meret, Chucky Lozano and Kim Min-jae have fully recovered and could start.
“We will not under-estimate Eintracht, qualification is still only 50-50 and we must repeat the magical performance of the first leg. That was extraordinary and it is no mean feat to replicate it. Eintracht will try something different, because they have to, so we need to be humble and ready for anything.”
There were scuffles in the city streets before the first leg, so the local authorities have banned Frankfurt supporters from attending at the Stadio Maradona.
Despite that, there are believed to be circa 400 fans making their way towards Naples via Salerno, Bari and Bergamo. “When it comes to public safety, there are professionals who make those evaluations and decisions. If there is the reasonable fear something bad could happen, it is right to intervene beforehand. That is not Napoli who made this choice, it has nothing to do with the club.”