Allegri: Napoli is still a favorite for Serie A championship, Leo has recovered and can play

At 2:45 am on September 29, in the 5th round of the 2025-26 Serie A, AC Milan will play against Naples at home. Before the game, Milan coach Allegri attended the press conference and talked about some of the current situation of the team.

Is Milan ready to fight Naples?

- I think Napoli is still a favorite for Serie A championship, and Conte has excellent coaching skills. We have to do a very good job because Naples has very good numbers. In the home game in September, AC Milan always lost to them...we hope to reverse the decline. Naples also has great players and it will be a great game.

How to treat this game?

- This will be a wonderful game and an important test. We are in good shape, Leo has recovered and can play. The longer we are together, the more we know each other, and we need to play great games in 100 minutes.

Have you awakened AC Milan?

- I'm glad that the fans were all over the court and supported us. The core of achieving achievements is always the club, it must be strong and stable, with a clear strategy. We can’t think that everything is resolved, but we need to keep working hard. This will be an important test for us to take another step forward.

Is Naples' lineup worse than Milan?

- I can say that the club operates well in the transfer market, with both experienced and young players. We only consider ourselves and strive to have the opportunity to rank in the top four in March. The Serie A is very difficult and we must maintain good momentum and balance.

How long will Leo play tomorrow?

- Leo and us conducted two half-class training sessions. He has been out for 45 days and has only conducted differentiated training. We don't think about tomorrow's results, but we have to play well against the Italian champions.

What is the most difficult thing to prepare for the game against Conte? Have you been in touch recently?

- We have no contact, Conte's team has a tight defense and rarely conceded goals. I remember he was like this in Juventus, Inter and Naples, which also led him to win the league last year, and the data proved his strength.

With Leo's return, will Milan continue to use 3-5-2 or change to three strikers?

- We will take a look and Leo needs to get back to his best shape. Pulisic is in good shape, and S-Jimenez has also made progress. In games, substitutions are crucial: If the substitute determines the outcome of the game, then you can achieve your season goals. Milan also has such players, which is why it is difficult to choose the right formation tomorrow. What stage is the

team currently in? Has the Italian Cup game sparked new questions?

- I have enough questions to hopefully solve them...but Tuesday's game made me confirm that Derwinter, Nkunku and others are becoming part of the team. Everyone must work hard for the team’s goals. Milan must participate in the Champions League next year.

How much do you want to hear all the fans cheering for Milan?

- Fans' support is very important and we look forward to Sunday night.

Fofana, Chick, Richie and Ashari, what do you expect from these midfielders?

—The club's operation of introducing Rabiot is crucial, which improves the overall level of the team. I have six very good midfielders, especially Modric, who was impressive in Serie A… They are all trustworthy players.

Evaluation of your coaching performance

—People's opinions will affect the evaluation. What matters is the result: I hope we can win a lot of games, even a small 1-0 victory. But the team must maintain their own style.

About Esturpinian's performance

- I think he is a good player, he is getting used to, and I'm glad he's on the team.

Regarding the outside world comparing Naples to Milan

- Tomorrow will be an important game, but I reiterate that we are working to qualify for the Champions League and AC Milan must participate in this event. I would rather play one game every three days than just prepare for the league.

Will players prefer being coached by you or Conte?

- I don't know, I respect Conte very much. We all have our own personalities, maybe we are different, maybe we are similar. His career has undoubtedly been a huge success.

After resting, have you made any progress than before?

- I watched a lot of competitions, but overall, the evaluation needs to be balanced. It is important that the team must have good performance and results, and must win those tough games.

Regarding directly fighting against the favorites to win the championship

- What I know is what I see, the next is only the fifth round, with 34 games and 102 points to fight for. We need to take it step by step and maintain balance. For Milan, winning is the norm, losing should be an exception.

How important is it to not lose tomorrow?

-I don't know. The important thing is to play well and achieve good results. If we win, we will certainly be happy, and if we lose, we need to continue to improve on what we have not done well. Tomorrow is against Napoli, they have won 18 of their last 26 games and lost only 1 of them in Como. In September, AC Milan's match against Napoli has always been difficult...

Can Pulisic and Nkunku start?

- They are in good shape, making it difficult for me to make a decision, but even substitutes must be ready to play, and it is often the people who stand up from the bench that determine the direction of the season.

Do you think Milan has reached its due maturity in the past month?

—We will take a look tomorrow, but every match day is a test. I haven't solved everything in a month and so far I have neither won the league nor secured the Champions League qualification. Tomorrow's game will not determine all this, we need to accumulate enough points step by step to strive for the Champions League qualification.

What does it mean to have a player like Modric in tomorrow's game?

- His career and honors have said it all, his professional spirit is undisputed, and watching him play football is a pleasure. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of players like Modric in the world.

source:7m cn sports