The coach on the eve of the match in Lisbon: “We have to take the field with the determination not to give up a single inch. My players are showing great commitment. The two losses? They were different. The one in Eindhoven was really bad.”

José Mourinho will cross paths with him tomorrow evening before kickoff because the Portuguese coach spoke today at lunchtime at Benfica’s training center, but tonight Antonio Conte still spoke about the Special One during the press conference held at the Da Luz Stadium. “Mourinho is a tremendous coach,” Conte began, “and his resume and trophy case speak for themselves. I don’t need to explain who José Mourinho is. It will be a pleasure to see him again and say hello. Did he smile at our absences? I think there are objective factors… But that’s fine. We have 7 points and they have 3: if they want to hope for the playoffs, they have to win, but we need it too. Let’s hope we do well and may the best team win.”

The Lecce coach, however, is confident: “The team’s mindset must be no different than it was on the eve of the match against Juve, Cagliari, or Atalanta: every game is important to us. We’ll have maximum concentration and maximum desire. We need to recover some energy because we played Sunday night, and we only prepared for this match today, in a tactical manner. They played on Friday and held their own in a draw against Sporting Lisbon, the dominant team here in Portugal over the last two seasons. In any case, our minds are clear of negative thoughts: it will be important for us and for them. We have to play with our heads held high so we have no regrets later. To the guys I say: ‘Let’s give it our all, and in the end we’ll see the final result and where we stand in the standings.’ What do I ask of the team? Courage and the desire to do what we work for every day. Sometimes we do it well, sometimes less so. We still want to play a good game, in true Napoli style. We need to try to recover our energy after Sunday because we expended a lot: there’s still a day left, and we’ve prepared in the best possible way.”

TURNING POINT—  Conte, too, knows full well that after the loss to Bologna and the November break for international duty, his Napoli has changed: “In a difficult moment, with injuries and the situation that had developed—losing key players every week—everyone’s sense of responsibility has grown. Many players who arrived in the summer have understood the dynamics and have started to show what they’re capable of, even taking more risks. There’s been significant growth linked to the greater responsibility the players took on during that difficult time. Now I see unity in the group.” In the Champions League, however, the team remains winless on the road and suffered a heavy defeat (6-2) in Eindhoven: “We can’t forget what we’ve done in the past. In the Champions League, we lost in Manchester against City due to the red card shown to Di Lorenzo, our captain, after 10 minutes: we still held our heads high against a great opponent. In Eindhoven, it wasn’t a good game; we know that. We need to try to improve our weaknesses and build on our strengths, without, however—and I’ll say this again—erasing the past. We’ll try to pick up points just as Benfica will. If they’re better, we’ll congratulate them. The gap between Italian soccer and the Champions League giants? Tactically, the Italian league has become more European, but the gap between Italian teams and the top European sides—in terms of squads—is huge, and it will be difficult to close even in the future. We have to try to be one step ahead of the others tactically, modernize, and have that healthy madness that drives you to attack and defend, maybe to finish a match 5-4 or 4-3.”

NERES—  The Brazilian forward, who spoke at the press conference before Conte, explained: “There will be a great atmosphere here, but we’re prepared to face this match. I’m happy with the moment we’re experiencing. Now, though, we have to keep it up. The 3-4-1-2? It gives me more freedom to attack, and I feel comfortable in it. We secured an important victory in our last match, and we don’t want to stop. We’re here to take home the three points, even though we know it will be difficult.”