Conte: ‘Couldn’t have predicted’ Napoli success at the start of 2024-25 | OneFootball

Antonio Conte says that he ‘couldn’t have predicted’ Napoli’s success this season at  the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign, but has implored the Partenopei supporters to ‘continue dreaming’ as the team continue to put the pressure on Inter at the top of the Serie A table with six games to go.

With 32 matches played of the 2024-25 season, Napoli are currently in second place and three points behind the league leaders, Inter, who still have Champions League and Coppa Italia matches left to think about.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Napoli’s upcoming test against Monza, Conte addressed the start-of-season expectations from his side, the team’s struggle for victories away from home and the condition of defender Alessandro Buongiorno.

NAPLES, ITALY – APRIL 14: Romelu Lukaku of Napoli celebrates with his head coach Antonio Conte after scoring his side second goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Empoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on April 14, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Before Napoli can start thinking about the Serie A title, Conte first wants to secure a top four finish, which could mathematically be achieved against Torino in the game after Monza.

“First of all, we have to get a Champions League place,” Conte said, reported via TMW.

“Everything else aside, we will have an opportunity to move closer to a prestigious goal with a good result, one that couldn’t have been predicted at the start of the season. But we said it, we’re here and will clearly try and cause as much bother as possible until the end.”

Conte tells Napoli supporters to ‘continue dreaming’ in Serie A title fight

Conte also gave a message to the travelling cohort of Azzurri supporters, around 10,000 of whom will make the journey north to support the team in Monza: “Continue dreaming, we have to feed their dreams,” Conte said.

“We are doing something that goes beyond expectations given what happened last year. We are here, we have to continue pushing with all our strength.

“We know it’s not easy, it’s not been easy so far, and there will still be other obstacles to overcome, so we will have to be as good as we have been so far, with no excuses.”

epa11898868 Napoli’s head coach Antonio Conte during the Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli at the Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 15 February 2025. EPA-EFE/Riccardo Antimiani

Conte was also asked about what he makes of Napoli’s record away from home. The team have not won on the road since a 3-2 victory over Atalanta on January 18.

Conte responded: “This is undeniable data, but the fact is also that we’re -3 points away from Inter, even if we haven’t won (away) for quite a while, we haven’t lost for a long time either, only in Como. Dome of them ended in draws, look at Roma and Lazio, situations where we were unlucky.

“Having said that, we have a lot of points and we are in second, which is the result of being consistent home and away. We’re not winning away from home at the moment and we would like to start doing so again, that is always our intent.”

Conte also sent a message of congratulations to his former side Inter, who have qualified for the Champions League semi-finals after a 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich over the last two weeks.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 16: Nicolo Barella of FC Internazionale celebrates with teammate Federico Dimarco following their victory at the end of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Bayern München at San Siro on April 16, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Congratulations to Inter, in the semi-finals after beating a strong team. As a football person who has Inter as an opponent, we have to congratulate them. We didn’t need this game to understand how strong they are: It’s no coincidence that they’re in the running in all competitions, and this strengthens the league we are playing in.

“They’re doing something important, it’s good for Italian football. In recent years, they’ve always been respected, there’s not much more to say: It’s their third consecutive year. One year can happen by chance, but if it happens every year it means that Italian football is at a high level.”

Conte also gave an update on the condition of the injured Buongiorno, and confirmed that Rafa Marin will play against Monza with Juan Jesus also unavailable.

NAPLES, ITALY – DECEMBER 08: Alessandro Buongiorno of Napoli during the Serie A match between Napoli and SS Lazio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 08, 2024 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“On Buongiorno, we’re monitoring the situation. Let’s see, let’s not put dates on and hurry him, it’s a very critical situation in the defensive department, but we have no excuses. Tomorrow we go on the pitch to win, full stop.

“Yes, we will have him, he’s one of the four defenders. Two are injured: If the maths doesn’t deceive me, four minus two leaves two and therefore he plays.”