Antonio Conte urged Napoli to stay calm while offering to achieve the Serie A title on Friday.
Napoli is ahead of Inter in the rankings that will go home in the last game of the season in Cagliari.
Napoli was able to win the Scudetto for the fourth time in their history after 1986-87, 1989-90 and 2022-23; Until now, no team from Central-Zuid-Italia has won the Scudetto more than three times (Roma also three).
If they were to lift the trophy, they become the first team in the history of a 20-team Serie A to win the Scudetto after a 10th place in the previous season, where the record of Juventus was defeated, also under Conte, in 2011-12 (seventh in the previous campaign.
“We came through a very demanding season, and this could clearly be the last game that closes a season for me in a new place, a new environment, where we clearly feel the responsibility to give Naples, the fans, something beautiful and historical,” Conte told reporters on Thursday.
Napoli are still favorites to lift the scudetto according to the OPTA Supercomputer, with a chance of 86.2% to finish the top. The chances of Inter are at 13.8%.
Conte will not be on the couch after emotions were the previous time -out of high in the scoreless draw against Parma, so that he and Parma coach Cristian Chivu are both sent away after being involved in a screaming match.
“I am sorry I am not there. After a season like this you want to be there, with your fans, to lead the team,” said Conte.
“There is a lot of faith in my staff, as always, in the fans, in the atmosphere that will be there, and even if I will be in the stands, my heart will be there.
'We had everything from them [fans]Proximity at positive moments and at negative moments that we are a bit faltered. They immediately had faith in the entire group. I feel like saying, staying is who they are. “
Conte said he will treat the Cagliari match as a normal game.
After their victory in the reverse match (4-0 in September), Napoli wants to win both games against Cagliari in a Serie A season for the first time since 2018-19 under Carlo Ancelotti.
Napoli only needs to match the result of Inter to claim first place, although a victory would alleviate all nerves. However, the last three games between the Partenopei and Cagliari that were played in the second half of the season have all ended in a 1-1 draw, including the most recent in February 2024.
“Tomorrow there will be Cagliari, a good team, and we have to play our game, with respect for the opponent 100%. If we respect them, we will have more chances to win,” said Conte.
“We know very well that the work brought us here today to talk about something special. We have to try to end the job.”