Napoli manager Antonio Conte considers his side’s upcoming Serie A clash against reigning champions Inter Milan ‘an important test’ as they look to extend their lead at the top of the league table, Soccernet.football reports.
Conte is looking to return the Naples based club to the top of Italian football. His Napoli side currently sit atop the Serie A standings with 25 points from 11 games, just one point above Inter as they prepare to lock horns at San Siro.
The Italian boss spent 2 years at Inter Milan, ending Juventus’ nine-year dominance in the league by leading the Nerazzurri to glory in the 2020/2021 season, their first since the historic treble-winning campaign of 2009/2010.
“It’s definitely nice to return to where I worked and won. Yes, two happy years,” Conte told reporters as quoted by SuperSports.
“It was a wonderful experience that I carry within me, like all the past ones that I lived to the fullest.”
Napoli, fresh off a 3-0 loss to Atalanta last weekend, have only managed one win against Inter in their last ten meetings. Determined to avoid back-to-back league defeats, Conte is focused on returning to winning ways in the upcoming match.
“The three points is always important, it is inevitable that we face a team that today, for everything they have shown, is the strongest team,” Conte added.
“We are not going to San Siro to wave the white flag before starting, but convinced to play our cards. Then we will see what happens. We are preparing in a major way, as we always do.
“It will be an important test, we will measure ourselves against the best, and it will be important to understand our progress. Do not forget that we arrive at the top of the table… and the objective is to remain at the top.”