Conte meets nemesis Sarri as Napoli faces Lazio
Napoli will be looking to strengthen its position in the Serie A title race when it travels to face Lazio on Monday (AEDT), a club that coach Antonio Conte has struggled against in th past.
Conte's side the Serie A holder, is currently third in the standings after AC Milan's win over Cagliari, but it could move within one point of the Rossoneri when if it beats Lazio.
However, Conte will have to do something he has never done before if Napoli is to leave with all three points.
Conte has lost both of his Serie A clashes against Maurizio Sarri, with both defeats coming in the 2019-2020 season – 2-1 at home, 2-0 away – when the two managers were in charge of Inter Milan and Juventus respectively.
The current Lazio boss is the only manager against whom Conte has always lost in Europe's big five leagues, when facing him at least twice.
Sarri could also become the third manager to beat Conte three times within Europe's big five leagues, after Pep Guardiola and Massimiliano Allegri.
Conte has dealt with many injuries to key players this season amid a busier schedule that includes UEFA Champions League football, and Oriali praised the coach's resilience.
"We're fortunate to have our leader, Antonio Conte, who doesn't give up in the face of difficulties," Napoli's head of first-team management, Lele Orialihe, said.
"And the team has followed him: we've faced serious problems, managing, through his insights and ideas, to find the right balance.
"I think this demonstrates the group's unity and the team spirit that has been created in the face of difficulties: the team has come together even more, managing to overcome these injuries."
Sarri's Lazio occupies ninth place in the Serie A table, with the Biancocelesti unbeaten in their past four league games, but only one win in those matches and three draws.
