The coach on the eve of the match in Lisbon: “We have to take to the field and be determined not to give up an inch. My players are showing great commitment. The two defeats? They were different. The one in Eindhoven was really bad.”

José Mourinho will meet him tomorrow evening before the start of the match because the Portuguese spoke today at lunchtime at Benfica’s training center, but tonight Antonio Conte still spoke about the Special One at the press conference held at the Da Luz stadium. “Mourinho is a great coach,” Conte began, “and his resume and trophy cabinet 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 some objective reasons… But that’s okay. We have seven points and they have three: if they want to hope for the playoffs, they have to win, but we need it too. We hope to do well and may the best team win.”

However, the Lecce coach is confident: “The team’s mindset should be no different than it was before the games against Juve, Cagliari, or Atalanta: every game is important for us. We will be fully focused and motivated. We need to recover some energy because we played on Sunday evening and we only prepared for this game today, in a didactic way. They played on Friday and drew well against Sporting Lisbon, the top team here in Portugal for the last two seasons. However, we have cleared our minds of negative thoughts: it will be important for us and for them. We have to play with our heads held high so that we have no regrets. I say to the lads: ‘Let’s give it our all and then we’ll see the final result and where we are in the table’. What do I ask of the group? Courage and the desire to do what we work for every day. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes less so. In any case, we want to play a good game, like Napoli. We have to try to recover our energy after Sunday because we expended a lot: there is still a day to go and we have prepared in the best possible way.”

TURNING POINT—  Conte is well aware that after the defeat against Bologna and the November break for international fixtures, his Napoli side has changed: “In a difficult moment, in terms of injuries and the situation that had arisen, losing important players every week, everyone’s sense of responsibility grew. Many players who arrived in the summer understood the dynamics and began to show what they are capable of, even taking more risks. There has been remarkable growth linked to the greater responsibility that the lads have taken on in difficult times. Now I see unity in the group.” In the Champions League, however, they remain on zero points away from home and suffered a heavy defeat (6-2) in Eindhoven: “We cannot forget what we have done in the past. In the Champions League, we lost in Manchester against City due to the sending off of Di Lorenzo, our captain, after 10 minutes: however, we came out with our heads held high against a great opponent. In Eindhoven, it was not a good game, we know that. We must try to improve our weaknesses and enhance our strengths, without, I repeat, erasing the past. We will try to get points, as Benfica will. If they are better, we will congratulate them. The gap between Italian football and the big teams in the Champions League? Tactically, the Italian league has become more European, but the gap between Italian teams and the top European teams, in terms of squads, is huge and difficult to close, even in the future. We must try to be one step ahead of the others tactically, modernize ourselves, and have that healthy madness that leads you to attack and defend, perhaps to finish a game 5-4 or 4-3.”

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