By making it to their first-ever Champions League quarterfinals, Napoli will “become folklore,” according to Luciano Spalletti, who wants his team to do so.
The dominant Serie A team is on the verge of advancing to the round of eight of Europe’s top club competition after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the first leg in Germany.
The Partenopei will undoubtedly fancy their chances of completing the task at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium given their commanding 18-point lead in Serie A and unbeaten streak of 11 home Champions League games.
However, they were ultimately eliminated from the competition on the one previous occasion they had won a knockout match, giving up a 3-1 lead before losing 5-4 on aggregate at this stage against Chelsea in the 2011-12 season.
Nevertheless, Spalletti knows what is at stake for the club, and issued a rallying cry to his players in his pre-match press conference.
“Great teams are made up of great players,” he said. “There’s history to be written in tomorrow’s game. Our city is replete with big stories and big personalities. We’re keen to become part of Naples’ history and become folklore in this city.Â
“You can compare it to the first final of the season. I don’t think that can put pressure on the side, because I’ve seen them deal with many positive and negative situations already this term.
“Seeing as it is practically a final, I want to see the attitude of a team that is starved and wants a result. I’ve seen them in training all term, and they never let their heads drop.
“Now, the test is to forget what has happened in the past and focus on getting the job done now.”