Napoli-Cagliari, Conte: "Winning will require the right amount of determination; it won't be like May."
Napoli's home debut, three months after winning the title against the Rossoblu: "But last year is in the past now."
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"The most important match is the one against Cagliari: our minds are completely on that." Antonio Conte doesn't want to think about the transfer market, much less the Champions League draw drawn yesterday, focusing on tomorrow's Serie A match (8:45 PM) . Last season, Napoli-Cagliari was the title-winning match for the Neapolitans, this time it will be "only" the second matchday: "But the league is very difficult, with 7-8 very well-equipped teams, and we'll have to battle. Last year is history."
Napoli's home debut is a thrilling one, with the fans applauding. "It will certainly be a joy to see them back three months after that May 23rd," Conte recalled. "We must have the same desire, determination, and unity of purpose: the bond between Neapolitan fans and their team must always be there." In their debut, Napoli beat Sassuolo 2-0 in Reggio Emilia, with goals from McTominay and De Bruyne. "We tried to bring in players with a good record of goals, then Scott picked up where he left off. We must continue on this path."
Conte doesn't want to give away any big details about the Napoli-Cagliari lineup: "You'll see about the goalkeeper tomorrow," to maintain the "duality" between Alex Meret and Vanja Milinković-Savić . "But the players know who will be playing." Meanwhile, Miguel Gutiérrez, the Spanish left-back signed from Girona with an ankle injury, has had his debut postponed. "We'll see what kind of improvement he makes during the two-week break and whether he can return to the group. With injuries like these, you have to be patient. Buongiorno, meanwhile, is on the road to recovery, and we'll see him on the pitch very soon."
Conte isn't talking about the transfer market, but it's now certain that the two incoming players—Eljif Elmas and Rasmus Højlund— won't be available in time for the Cagliari match . "A team that will want to build on the good work they did against Fiorentina," Conte's assessment of the Rossoblu. "If we think we can win just because we have the Scudetto on our shirts, it would be a big mistake. We need to have the right determination to put in a great performance and get the three points."
