Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is confident coach Luciano Spalletti will remain with the Scudetto hopefuls beyond the expiration of his contract at the end of the season.

Napoli appear destined to win their first Serie A title since the Diego Maradona era this campaign, having built a huge 19-point lead over second-placed Lazio.

Having earned a club-record 71 points from their first 27 games of the Serie A season, Napoli will also face Milan in the club's first Champions League quarter-final appearance next month.

Napoli reportedly hold an option to trigger a 12-month extension to Spalletti's contract, with the 64-year-old having previously ruled out talks over fresh terms before the title is secured.

De Laurentiis is not worried about the prospect of Spalletti walking away, praising the coach's seismic impact upon the club as he recalled his 2021 appointment on Friday. 

Speaking at an event in Naples, De Laurentiis recalled: "To throw everyone off the track, I went for [Sergio] Conceicao and [Massimiliano] Allegri, who came to give me football lessons in my office four times.

"In the end, Luciano came to bring us back to the top three in Italy and also last year, something different could have happened. 

"If the rules of football were different, perhaps we would have brought the Scudetto to Naples a few other times already. Spalletti will stay in Naples."

Napoli host Milan in their next Serie A fixture on April 2, while the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie with the Rossoneri will take place 10 days later at San Siro.

Luciano Spalletti lauded the hunger of Napoli to not rest on their sizeable Serie A lead after a 4-0 hammering of Torino on Sunday.

Victor Osimhen's brace came alongside goals for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Tanguy Ndombele that sent Napoli 21 points clear at the Serie A summit after a dominant performance in Turin.

Inter could cut that significant advantage when they host Juventus later on Sunday, although the Partenopei are within touching distance of their first Scudetto since 1990.

Spalletti continues to be impressed by Napoli's fight and refusal to let their march towards the title stall, embodying the hunger and pride of the Partenopei support.

The Napoli coach told DAZN: "It's the umpteenth time that I go to talk to the boys before a game, having the feeling that there can be satisfaction, and it's the umpteenth time that they respond by showing they're made of different stuff.

"They want to be someone who shows what it means to those who wear the Napoli shirt, who is hungry and does not sleep, it is a Neapolitan saying, and it is true."

Osimhen continued his fine form after taking his tally to 21 league goals this season, equalling Samuel Eto'o's mark in the 2010-11 campaign as Africa's top scorer in a single Serie A term.

The Nigeria international joined Edinson Cavani, Gonzalo Higuain and Dries Mertens as the only Napoli players to score 20 or more league goals in a single campaign during Aurelio De Laurentiis' ownership.

Kvaratskhelia also reached double figures for goals and assists in his maiden campaign in one of Europe's top-five leagues – Werder Bremen's Diego was the last to do so in the 2006-07 term.

However, Spalletti insists Napoli are far from reliant on just those two stars.

"On the third goal, Kvara's backheel and Mathias Olivera's cross stand out, and Osimhen's header," he added.

"But look at what Giovanni Di Lorenzo does: he makes a thirty-metre run for a one-two and carries the ball to the left to allow there to be a wide area in which to develop the action.

"It's not that Napoli is limited to two players, it is extended to all the members of the team. Di Lorenzo he played a remarkable match, he is a champion."

Osimhen echoed his coach's sentiment as Napoli aim to repay their supporters with a long-awaited Scudetto.

"The hopes of the fans are ours too, they have been waiting for a long time," the striker told DAZN.

"We are happy to be on the right path to win this prestigious trophy, we must continue like this."

Luciano Spalletti sees no reason why Napoli's remarkable campaign has to be their peak as he urged the team to make every season a "once-in-a-lifetime year".

Napoli face Torino in Turin on Sunday in what is their final match of the month, with the upcoming international window providing a brief break to the domestic season.

If results elsewhere go their way and they beat Torino, Napoli could head into the break with a 21-point lead at the Serie A summit, a surely insurmountable gap with only 11 matches to go.

Either way, the Partenopei are enjoying a sensational season, with their relentless surge for a first Scudetto in 33 years coupled with progression to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

But rather than focusing on what they are achieving, Spalletti can see their potential and hopes to inspire a quest for non-stop improvement.

"The once-in-a-lifetime year, as far as I'm concerned, will be the one after this, and then it will be the one after that, and it can go on and on," he told reporters.

"What happens to us now is real and must always be used to improve.

"The best is always what you want to go and discover. You must never stop, you must dig deeper to get the most out of something."

At 64, Spalletti is something of a stalwart of management in Italian football, having coached Udinese, Roma, Inter and now Napoli, among others, in Serie A.

If he does guide Napoli to the title, it will be his first league crown in Italy – even in the lower divisions, with Empoli, he did not win a championship, attaining back-to-back promotions by other means.

Nevertheless, Spalletti recognises the significance of his previous experiences and is now driven by a desire to make the most of the time he has left in the game.

"I try to optimise the time that passes, because one day we will be judged for the professionalism and seriousness shown in dealing with everything," he added.

"I know that I have to value all the opportunities that pass before me, because as a coach I don't have a lot of time, what with being 64 years old.

"And I am willing to do anything for Napoli to be able to enhance the events ahead of us."

Luciano Spalletti has pushed back on Pep Guardiola's claim Napoli are the best team in Europe right now, claiming the comments are "a game to build us up, so they can knock us down".

The Partenopei booked their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the last-16 second leg.

With an 18-point lead at the summit of Serie A to boot, Spalletti's side seem primed for silverware regardless, and City boss Guardiola suggested they are the team to beat.

Spalletti, however, feels the Catalan coach is only saying as much in order to take the advantage in the mental tussle ahead of Friday's last-eight draw, with both teams in the mix to meet.

"I don't feel proud, I don't feel anything," he told Amazon Prime Italia. "I know this game that everyone does to put pressure on the others.

"Are we putting Napoli in front of Manchester City? If they can spend €900m compared to our €9m, there must be a reason. It's a game to build us up, so they can knock us down."

City booked their place in the quarter-finals with a ruthless result of their own, notching a 7-0 second leg victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Napoli meanwhile join rivals Milan and Inter in the last-eight, marking the first time three Italian teams have reached the stage since the 2005-06 campaign.

Spalletti urged supporters to enjoy the moment, but insisted his team cannot get carried away as they look to make further history in Europe this season.

"It is a great result, [and] we are going to enjoy it along with all our fans," he added. "Now it becomes fundamental that we maintain the same attitude.

"If Napoli in the entire history of this club had not reached the quarter-finals before, that means this is a great result."

Luciano Spalletti has pushed back on Pep Guardiola's claim Napoli are the best team in Europe right now, claiming the comments are "a game to build us up, so they can knock us down".

The Partenopei booked their first appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the last-16 second leg.

With an 18-point lead at the summit of Serie A to boot, Spalletti's side seem primed for silverware regardless, and City boss Guardiola suggested they are the team to beat.

Spalletti, however, feels the Catalan coach is only saying as much in order to take the advantage in the mental tussle ahead of Friday's last-eight draw, with both teams in the mix to meet.

"I don't feel proud, I don't feel anything," he told Amazon Prime Italia. "I know this game that everyone does to put pressure on the others.

"Are we putting Napoli in front of Manchester City? If they can spend €900m compared to our €9m, there must be a reason. It's a game to build us up, so they can knock us down."

City booked their place in the quarter-finals with a ruthless result of their own, notching a 7-0 second leg victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

Napoli meanwhile join rivals Milan and Inter in the last-eight, marking the first time three Italian teams have reached the stage since the 2005-06 campaign.

Spalletti urged supporters to enjoy the moment, but insisted his team cannot get carried away as they look to make further history in Europe this season.

"It is a great result, [and] we are going to enjoy it along with all our fans," he added. "Now it becomes fundamental that we maintain the same attitude.

"If Napoli in the entire history of this club had not reached the quarter-finals before, that means this is a great result."

Luciano Spalletti believes Napoli's current team is a greater collective unit than the Partenopei sides which Diego Maradona inspired to two Serie A titles.

Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, completing a 5-0 aggregate triumph in their last-16 tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

A Victor Osimhen brace and a Piotr Zielinski penalty guided Napoli to a 3-0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with last season's Europa League winners failing to land a blow on Spalletti's men.

With Napoli set to end a 33-year wait to win Serie A after building an 18-point lead at the summit, comparisons have been made with the sides Maradona led to the Scudetto in 1986-87 and 1989-90.

However, Spalletti feels his team are less reliant on individual brilliance, saying: "There is a key difference – nobody wins games alone like Maradona did. 

"We manage to make up for our shortcomings thanks to collective work. Tonight I saw many elements combine and play a messy game, which sometimes you need. 

"It's not just that the important individuals create an outlet. To make the most of it, you need those who scrape and clean up situations for the players with more quality."

While Napoli's remarkable rise has been a collective effort, Osimhen produced another talismanic forward display against Eintracht as he reached 23 goals for the campaign.

The Nigeria international has scored 13 times since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Marcus Rashford (15) among players from Europe's top five leagues – and Spalletti says there is more to come.

"He's already a world-class player, a great world-class player," Spalletti said of Osimhen. "He still has untapped potential – a lot of it – so we're pleased. 

"In addition to scoring goals, he cleans up situations when the opposing team presses us, he creates opportunities for us. He has these flashes. 

"Everything is correct with him, and we need to build on these matches both individually and collectively to be even more ready for the following games."

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Napoli reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time on Wednesday, helping Luciano Spalletti's men to a 3-0 second-leg win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Osimhen netted either side of half-time in another talismanic display for the runaway Serie A leaders, who sealed a 5-0 aggregate triumph across a tie overshadowed by violent clashes between supporters.

Piotr Zielinski won and converted a penalty to make it 3-0 as Eintracht toiled without suspended forward Randal Kolo Muani at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

After swatting last season's Europa League winners aside, Napoli will be seen as a team to avoid when they join fellow Italian giants Milan and Inter in Friday's last-eight draw.

Napoli made a typically fast start as Matteo Politano tested Kevin Trapp with a low drive in the first minute, before the goalkeeper denied Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the end of slaloming run.

Oliver Glasner's well-drilled visitors kept Napoli at bay for much of the first half, though they were again indebted to Trapp for keeping out Kvaratskhelia's prodded attempt 40 minutes in.

Eintracht were unable to make it to half-time, however, with Osimhen hanging in the air to head Politano's cross into the top-right corner after a fine pass from Stanislav Lobotka.

Osimhen needed just eight minutes to grab his brace after the restart, stretching to divert Giovanni Di Lorenzo's low cross home from inside the six-yard box.

Trapp denied Kvaratskhelia for a third time when the Georgian attempted a curling shot on the hour mark, but he was unable to prevent Zielinski from making it 3-0 from 12 yards after the midfielder was clumsily tripped by Djibril Sow.

Luciano Spalletti wants his Napoli side to "become folklore" by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Following a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg in Germany, the runaway Serie A leaders are on the verge of a place in the last eight of Europe's premier club competition.

Sitting a huge 18 points clear at the Serie A summit and unbeaten in their last 11 home Champions League matches, the Partenopei will certainly fancy their chances of finishing the job at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Although, they ended up being eliminated on the only previous occasion they won a knockout match in the competition, surrendering a 3-1 lead before eventually going down 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. 

"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."

Despite their favourable position, Spalletti insists his side must not take anything for granted against last season's Europa League champions.

"It would be terribly presumptuous for us to assume we're already in the next round, that is not the way we do things," he added. "Tomorrow, we need the head, the heart, and a bit of luck.

"Don't forget Eintracht got through a group that had Tottenham, Marseille and Sporting CP. Last year, they won away to a Barcelona side that eliminated us, so we have total respect for the work Oliver Glasner is doing, we know it will be tough.

"We will not underestimate Eintracht, qualification is still only 50-50, and we must repeat the magical performance of the first leg. That was extraordinary, and it is no mean feat to replicate it.

"Eintracht will try something different because they have to, so we need to be humble and ready for anything."

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is "on the right path" towards earning similar hero status at Napoli to that enjoyed by the "god of football" Diego Maradona, according to his coach Luciano Spalletti.

Kvaratskhelia has shone throughout a campaign in which Napoli appear destined to end their 33-year wait to win the Scudetto.

The Georgian netted his 11th league goal of the season as Napoli overcame Atalanta 2-0 on Saturday, leaving defenders in his wake before firing home as Spalletti's men moved 18 points clear at the Serie A summit. 

With Napoli's first title win since the Maradona era drawing closer, Spalletti believes comparisons between Kvaratskhelia and the inspirational Argentine are not without merit.

"This victory was the best. Turning the tables in terms of our results with this quality of play was the best," Spalletti told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli on Monday.

"The team played a great game against a very tough opponent like Atalanta. Physically they are the strongest team of all in Serie A, but also in terms of running in open spaces. 

"We moved the ball faster, with a few less touches but with quality, in order to be able to hurt them with pace and speed.

"Then there was that stuff that Kvaratskhelia showed us... This time we can say it was a goal like those of Maradona. 

"The god of football was the god of football, but Kvara is on the right path. He has a speed of touch, you never know where he can go."

Kvaratskhelia's tally of 20 goal contributions (11 goals, nine assists) is only bettered by team-mate Victor Osimhen (19 goals, four assists) in Serie A this season, while he has also created 17 chances following carries and completed 41 dribbles, with the latter total only bettered by Rafael Leao's 44.

Napoli host Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, defending a 2-0 advantage in their bid to reach the last eight for the first time. 

Luciano Spalletti has refuted suggestions Napoli's Scudetto triumph is a mere "formality", ruling out the prospect of the Partenopei focusing on their Champions League campaign.

Napoli suffered just their second defeat of the Serie A season against Lazio last time out, though they still boast a 15-point lead over Inter at the summit ahead of Saturday's meeting with Atalanta.

With Napoli's first league title since the Diego Maradona era appearing to be on the horizon, some have suggested Spalletti could manage his squad ahead of Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Napoli hold a 2-0 lead at the midway point of that last-16 tie, but Spalletti says his team are not in any position to prioritise future games.

"We always talk about future matches, I've already said many times that it doesn't work like that for us. We face them one at a time and the focus is all on the match against Atalanta," he said.

"We don't have the presumption of being able to manage a championship as if it were a formality or an obstacle to other more important matches.

"The obstacle is only Atalanta for now and they are very strong for many reasons. It is a huge challenge, you have to deserve the final result to bring it home, they are a great team." 

With several potential challengers having dropped away, Spalletti was asked when the title could realistically be secured, but he remains uninterested in such talk.  

"It will be possible when there isn't another team in a position to take as many points as us. Guys, we still have to play many even games," he said.

"We have seen what quality there is in Italy despite what they say in the European comparisons, this says a lot about the difficulties of bringing home the results. 

"Against Lazio we didn't do anything wrong to lose to them, but we found ourselves without any points. 

"I watch the matches, I have them reviewed, and I'm sure there is no need to have a reaction because the performance was there in an important way, but we were facing another team that did important things and took advantage of a moment in their favour."

Napoli are looking to improve on their poor home record against Atalanta, having only won one of their last four league games against Gian Piero Gasperini's side in Naples (D1 L2).

Having suffered a 3-2 defeat in this fixture last season, Napoli could lose consecutive home games against Atalanta for just the second time in Serie A, having previously done so in 1997.

Luciano Spalletti saw positive signs from his Napoli side despite a 1-0 defeat to Lazio on Friday.

Matias Vecino's stunning effort condemned the Serie A leaders to only a second league defeat of the season and their first at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Despite the loss, which brought an end to an eight-match winning streak, Napoli retain a 17-point lead at the summit and Spalletti was happy with his side's desire.

"I expected such an attitude from the Biancocelesti, they are very compact and always move en bloc," he told DAZN.

"We made the choices in the worst way ever, but I saw a good attitude, the right application and desire, and these are the fundamental things."

Defeat for Spalletti came at the hands of a player he knows well, having managed Vecino during the pair's time at Inter, and he issued praise to his former midfielder.

"Lazio defended well, they were lucky on Victor Osimhen's header and we were naive about Vecino's goal. Then the ball found that corner," he added.

"But I congratulate Vecino, he is a great professional and a great footballer. Did he betray me? I wouldn't say, everyone has to do their job without thinking about the relationship that there was previously."

Victor Osimhen believes Napoli's success is the result of great leadership as Luciano Spalletti's team moved a step nearer to their first Serie A title for 33 years.

The Nigerian striker scored for an eighth consecutive league game, taking his goal tally in Serie A to 10 since the turn of the year, with Napoli winning 2-0 at Empoli on Saturday.

The last player to embark on a goal-getting streak so long in Italy's top flight was Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored in 11 consecutive games for Juventus during the 2019-20 campaign.

Napoli's latest away success – their fifth in a row without conceding – was a result that could be directly seen as a measure of the team's progress, given they lost the corresponding game 3-2 last season despite holding a two-goal lead at one point.

This time Napoli never looked like surrendering their advantage after getting ahead, with Ardian Ismajli's own goal followed by Osimhen tucking away a close-range chance.

Napoli were two goals clear inside half an hour, and even the sending-off of Mario Rui midway through the second half did not prove costly.

Spalletti made a tactical reshuffle, and it was Napoli who looked the likelier scorers of a third goal, even with their numerical disadvantage.

"Today we had last year's defeat in mind and we were very concentrated to be able to redeem ourselves and get the win," Osimhen said.

"I'm happy with the confidence the coach has given me, but credit goes to my team-mates because we are a group who are always proving to be competitive on the pitch. Winning here today was very complicated because Empoli are an excellent team."

Saluting the coach and driving force behind this Scudetto push, Osimhen said: "Spalletti always pushes me to give my best, he's a very good and very demanding coach.

"He wants every player to be able to express himself at his best and we follow him because we're doing an extraordinary job which can be seen in the game and in the results."

Osimhen, quoted on Napoli's website, added: "This is definitely the best season of my career, I feel great mentally and physically and I'm happy to be able to continue like this to achieve great goals."

He has 19 goals in 20 Serie A games this term, with Napoli pulling 18 points clear of second-placed Inter, who have a trip to Bologna on Sunday.

It is proving to be a rout of the field as Napoli close in on silverware, winning 21 of 24 games so far, a club record at this stage.

Spalletti said he sensed a "team that knew how to fight and win with a leader's mentality".

Considering Napoli were last champions of Italy in 1989-90, in the days of Diego Maradona and Careca, it is remarkable they have delivered such a spectacular show of dominance this term.

Napoli have lost just once in the league, to Inter on January 4, and they would have to collapse dramatically to not be champions.

"Today the concern was that our level of fighting might be lower than theirs," said Spalletti. "Instead the boys had an availability and a predisposition to sacrifice that deserves praise. I congratulate the team because they are performing excellently."

He said Napoli's midfield "put on a tough face and fought ball after ball with extraordinary dedication".

Using a colloquialism, Spalletti added: "This team is a lot of stuff.

"If we are at this point of the season it means that I have a squad that know how to interpret each match in an exemplary way, with the mentality and spirit which must a team that wants to impose itself must have."

Luciano Spalletti says Napoli cannot afford to make "the slightest mistake" when they visit Empoli on Saturday, having seen their Scudetto bid derailed by the same opponents last season.

Napoli are 15 points clear of Inter at the Serie A summit ahead of their trip to the Stadio Carlo Castellani, and appear destined to win their first league title since the Diego Maradona era.

However, Empoli have only lost one of their nine home games against Napoli in Serie A, winning four and drawing four – with last campaign's contest having a huge impact on the title race.

Napoli squandered a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes as they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at Empoli last April, a result which all but ended their hopes of beating Milan and Inter to the Scudetto.

Despite Napoli's seven-game winning streak making them overwhelming title favourites, Spalletti is wary of the threat posed by a side he represented as both a player and as head coach.

"Don't get confused between work and superstition," Spalletti said. "Here, we work in the right way. 

"The match with Empoli [last season] destroyed our whole year of work, we could have won 3-0 and instead we lost, it was devastating. We suffered a lot.

"We want to win for our city, we feel it. We can't make the slightest mistake. Sometimes, they happen unexpectedly and determine the fate of the whole situation.

"The euphoria we have cannot become presumption, which would stop us from growing."

Empoli are one of just two teams – the other being Inter – to have beaten Napoli twice across the last two Serie A campaigns, doing the double over the Partenopei last term.

However, Napoli appear to be a different beast this campaign, and Spalletti's men have even been touted as contenders to win the Champions League following Tuesday's 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Asked whether his side should be held up as an example for others to follow, Spalletti said: "I don't know if we can become a role model.

"Our approach is this, to play good football with our characteristics and to achieve as many results as possible. We are pleased with the compliments, of course."

Luciano Spalletti warned Napoli cannot think they have already reached the Champions League quarter-finals despite a dominant victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Serie A leaders cruised to a 2-0 victory at Deutsche Bank Park as Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo netted against Eintracht, who had Randal Kolo Muani sent off in the second half.

Napoli have never made it to the Champions League last eight but are in control of their last-16 tie ahead of the return meeting in Naples on March 15.

Spalletti refused to rest on his laurels, though, as he insisted nothing has been achieved just yet.

Asked if Napoli and Real Madrid, who smashed Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield in Tuesday's other clash, were favourites, Spalletti responded: "Will we be able to repeat it?

"We have to, let's see if we stay on track, remain in command. We cannot think we are automatically through."

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia saw Kevin Trapp save his penalty four minutes before Osimhen's first-half opener, with Napoli's poor spot-kick record continuing in the Champions League.

The Partenopei have scored just three of their six penalties taken in this year's competition, with only Monaco and Sevilla (in the 2016-17 term) missing as many in a single campaign, excluding shoot-outs, since Opta data began in the 2003-04 season.

Kvaratskhelia bounced back to tee up Di Lorenzo's calm finish, his 13th assist across all competitions this term – no Serie A player has managed more.

Spalletti referenced the resilience of Napoli being a key factor for their success.

"This thing should be highlighted here, the team didn't give up after the penalty kick, but scored immediately, insisted because we wanted to win," he added. 

"Thinking correctly, behaving like this, and wanting to win the match. We want to win them all, the matches pass so we don't come back again.

"We dreamed of this game here as children, we can't fail it. At 2-0, there was the possibility of scoring the third goal, we did some things well, others a little less, we could have tried more."

Victory marked Napoli's first away win in the Champions League knockout rounds, having lost their previous three, as they chase Serie A and European glory.

Luciano Spalletti has backed star Napoli pair Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to rise to the occasion as they prepare to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League last 16.

Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia have been two standout performers for Napoli this season, who boast a 15-point lead in Serie A and coasted through their Champions League group earlier this season.

Ahead of their first leg in Germany against the reigning Europa League holders, Spalletti heaped praise on both, as well as the club's decision-makers who brought them to Naples.

"From the point of view of maturity, we can cite Osimhen's reaction to Sassuolo [on Friday] as an example [when he asked to come off after feeling a potential injury]," he told reporters. "As soon as he realised he had a little problem he evaluated correctly, asking for a substitution.

"This is the player who knows how to evaluate things very well, these two types [Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia] they are two of those who truly have the flair, the imagination, the quality to send a message to world football. At the same time, they are two very young boys.

"[Sporting director, Cristiano] Giuntoli and [chairman, Aurelio] De Laurentiis were good at choosing them from a very large group of players, this youth still needs to be shaped, matured.

"Tomorrow night will be an event to be attacked. In my opinion they will be able to interpret it. It is not allowed to be afraid. We will see football that only those at this level can make."

The former Roma and Inter head coach also leaned into a Christmas analogy put to him by a reporter, comparing the Champions League knockout stage to Christmas morning.

"I have to give the reindeer some milk, because it's the night before, it's a party for me," he replied. "We'll see if we can unwrap the presents or not."

Spalletti will go up against opposite number Oliver Glasner, who has impressed at Eintracht since taking over in 2021.

"I know him well because I had already met him when I was coach of Zenit, there is mutual respect as regards the work of the other, for my part," the Italian said. 

"I have a number of people who Napoli makes available to me and who go to see the work of the teams that manage to play good football. Since he won the Europa League we too have gone to see what Glasner is doing.

"He is modern, he knows how to make his team play very short, he knows very well how to press high and bring the team block low and start again in space. He has players who know how to use this space very well.

"We congratulate him on the football he has played, he is doing it even in the league. Precisely for this reason it will be delicate and difficult."