Conte: ‘One game for Napoli is like 30 in Serie B, one in the UCL maybe 60’
Antonio Conte says that Napoli are in a difficult positions with injuries heading into Tuesday’s Champions League clash away against Copenhagen, but believes that this brings fantastic opportunities for some of his fringe players: ‘Playing one game for Napoli is worth as much as 30 in Serie B. Playing one in the Champions League is maybe worth 60.’
Napoli are on a run of eight games unbeaten across all competitions. They put a run of three consecutive draws to an end over the weekend with a 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in Serie A on Saturday. They now sit in third place, six off league leaders Inter.
The Partenopei are in a considerably more delicate position in the Champions League table, though. They are in 23rd place with just seven points from their first six matches in the competition, and now, qualification for the knock-out rounds will go down to the final week of league phase fixtures.
Injuries are, again, an issue for Napoli, who lost both Matteo Politano and Amir Rrahmani during their win against Sassuolo over the weekend. David Neres, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Kevin De Bruyne are also unavailable and Romelu Lukaku is not yet in a position to play.
“We try to focus on who is there, we always try to find solutions,” Conte told the media during his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“We’ve done it over the last few days, trying to prepare for this game, and I hope we can bring that to the pitch. Inevitably, we have to change a little bit: We lost both Politano and Rrahmani in the last game, Neres also continues to have that ankle problem that we’ve not been able to solve.
“We need to find solutions without feeling sorry for ourselves. When the unthinkable happens, it becomes difficult, but I am confident.”
Conte on Copenhagen vs. Napoli, injuries and Hojlund
Tuesday night’s game will be Copenhagen’s first competitive fixture since mid-December given the lengthy winter break that takes place in the Danish football calendar. Conte was asked whether he thinks this is an advantage or disadvantage.
“Making estimations about the opponent seems unhelpful to me. We’re so focused on ourselves that we haven’t thought about that. We’ve come off a big run, playing every three days, I think this is our fourth game in nine days. That’s absurd. Those who put the schedule together should understand that footballers are subjected to extreme physical and mental stress.
“So, we’re focused on ourselves, trying to do our best. We know we’ll face an excellent team, one that is very prepared physically and tactically. It will be a nice stadium, our fans are coming and we are happy about that. They’ll give us a big hand to do something special.”
Conte was not prepared to discuss transfer plans or wishlists during his pre-match press conference, though.
“We’re on the eve of a very important game, it doesn’t seem appropriate to talk about these things out of context. There is full harmony at this club, we have the same views. We know what we need and that is objective. Let’s focus on the game and channel our energy there.”
Napoli’s recent injury troubles means that there has been increased opportunities for the likes of Antonio Vergara, who started against Sassuolo, his first of the 2025-26 season.
“As for the guys like Vergara, Ambrosino, Marianucci, we also had two lads from the Primavera side, they have to stay switched on and be ready because we need them. “They’ve been training with us, they’ve made a lot of progress. Playing one game for Napoli is worth as much as 30 in Serie B. Playing one in the Champions League is maybe worth 60. I’m happy to have them with us and to see their growth.
“As I said to Antonio, we will help you, but you have to help us because I expect you to be able to help us if I put you on the pitch. He can do it, Ambrosino can do it, these guys are ready to give us a hand.”
Lastly, Conte was asked by the Danish press for his thoughts on centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund.
“I can only speak positively about Rasmus,” Conte said. “He’s a fantastic guy, he’s only 22 years old, but in my opinion he still has lots of room for improvement.
“In just four or five months, he’s grown a lot from a tactical and physical point of view. He understands when to attack space, the way he has to position himself with the ball. He’s a very important player for us. I think he can become even stronger in the future.
“He has to keep this mentality, stay humble. He’s lucky because he gets to work with a fantastic footballer in Romelu Lukaku, who can teach him using his experience. I’m happy with him, and so is Napoli. He’s a fantastic footballer and a fantastic guy.”