Baroni ‘not surprised’ by Napoli ahead of Coppa Italia meeting | OneFootball

Lazio coach Marco Baroni insists he’s not surprised by Napoli’s impressive results this season ahead of a Coppa Italia Round of 16 tie against the Partenopei.

Lazio and Napoli meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday in the Coppa Italia Round of 16.

Napoli are the Serie A leader, while Lazio lost the latest league game at Parma but are just four points below the Partenopei.

The Stadio Olimpico fixture is the most important match in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 and the William Hill sign up offer allows fans to bet on the exciting event, getting £60 in free bets when staking £10.

“We want to do well in this competition. We worked with attention and desire yesterday, but a few players are injured, and we’ll try to recover them today. We meet the table leaders, so we want to do well,” Baroni said at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

Lazio were furious with the referee in Parma in their latest match as Nicolò Rovella had a goal controversially disallowed.

“Everyone makes mistakes, including myself and the players,” argued Baroni.

PARMA, ITALY – DECEMBER 01: Anas Haj Mohamed of Parma Calcio scores his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Parma and SS Lazio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on December 01, 2024 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

“I never take the team on this field because we must only focus on ourselves and trust everyone. We must know that these situations can happen in football. I don’t want to talk about errors; we must manage these situations better and improve to do so. We have analysed what we lacked and what we can control.”

Ex-Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares won’t be available against Napoli on Thursday, but Gaetano Castrovilli will return to action.

“Castrovilli partially trained with the team yesterday and can play for a few minutes,” said Baroni.

“It’s positive for us because we care about this lad. We know his journey, and we want him to stay with us. Some players had some issues after the Parma game. Tavares is still unavailable, but he may return for the next one.”

The Italian tactician insisted that Napoli’s results have not surprised him.

“Absolutely not. Napoli deserve to be a table leader,” he insisted.

“I know Conte’s value beyond the results. I’ve worked with him, and I’ve seen how he works. I know he’s a great coach who makes life difficult for others. I am not surprised. There’s a lot of work behind Napoli’s results.

“Napoli are a solid team, tricky for any opponent. It’s an important test for us, and we want to prove ourselves against this team.

“We work on the pitch, and that’s the only thing we must think about,” added Baroni.

“Games are part of the development process. This is why I say we must never lack commitment.”

Lastly, Baroni sent his best wishes to Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove.

“I want to send a big hug to Edoardo Bove on behalf of everyone at Lazio. We are all close to Edoardo and his family,” concluded the Lazio coach.