Conte's mutation: "Sports center matters more than Kvaratskhelia"

The most important match of Sunday’s Serie A Round 24 schedule takes place at the "Maradona" Stadium between Napoli and Udinese (22.45). Antonio Conte’s team has the opportunity to extend their lead over Inter to six points—at least for 24 hours—in the Italian championship standings.

Italian coach surprised everyone at the press conference with his calm tone and understanding of the club’s decision to sign Okafor as a replacement for Kvaratskhelia.

A large part of the public expected a fiery presentation ahead of the match against Udinese, influenced by Napoli’s rather disappointing transfer window. However, Conte caught everyone off guard, and instead of delivering direct or indirect criticism, he spoke as if he were a club executive rather than just Napoli’s coach.

"My primary goal is to help the club, and what Napoli lacks is infrastructure—without it, you can’t develop a talent pipeline. In other words, Napoli doesn’t need a €50 million player, but a modern sports center," said Napoli's strategist, the same coach who left Juventus a decade ago stating, "You can’t go to a restaurant where a meal costs 100 euros with only 10 euros in your pocket."

The night Antonio Conte would gladly forget

In Naples, they are aware that Inter could lose the Scudetto race in the next week against Fiorentina and Juventus, but they also recognize that they must secure the league title by April 6. From next week until the first weekend of April, they will face Lazio, Inter, Fiorentina, Milan, and Bologna—a decisive stretch.

Napoli ended their seven-match winning streak against Roma at the Olimpico last week, but what initially felt like two dropped points soon turned into a valuable draw, considering that Inter was thrashed 3-0 by Fiorentina on Thursday.

Before the match against Udinese, Conte faces a minor issue at left-back, as Mathias Olivera is injured—the only player unavailable for Napoli—while Leonardo Spinazzola isn’t fully fit. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Pasquale Mazzocchi start in that position.

Interestingly, Alessandro Buongiorno is expected to start on the bench. The former Torino captain was Napoli’s best defender before his injury, but despite returning to full training two weeks ago, he is set for another game as a substitute.

Udinese, meanwhile, has traveled to Naples without Keinan Davis, Maduka Okoye, and Isaak Toure.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY

Friday

Como - Juventus 1-2 (1-1)

/Diao 45+1 - Kolo Muani 34, 89 pen/

Saturday

Verona - Atalanta 0-5 (0-4)

/Retegui 21, 25, 44, 56, Ederson 37/

Empoli - Milan 0-2 (0-0)

/Leao 68, Gimenez 76/

Torino - Genoa 1-1 (1-0)

/Thorsby 45+2 (og) - Pinamonti 68/

Sunday

Venezia - Roma 0-1 (0-0)

/Dybala 57 pen/

17.00: (1.95) Cagliari (3.60) Parma (4.20)

17.00: (1.37) Lazio (4.80) Monza (9.00)

20.00: (4.10) Lecce (3.40) Bologna (1.95)

22.45: (1.43) Napoli (4.40) Udinese (8.00)

Monday

22.45: (1.47) Inter (4.30) Fiorentina (7.00)

***odds are subject to change***