After their impressive run in the 2022/23 Serie A season, Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti and Nigeria international Victor Osimhen have set their sights on the Champions League.
The Partenopei are on course to win their first Scudetto in 33 years and enjoy a 13-point lead at the top of the table, winning 18 of their 21 league matches this season, drawing two and losing one.
The 24-year-old Nigeria striker netted a brace as Napoli sent Spezia 3-0 down in a dominating game on Sunday to take their tally to 16 from 17 appearances.
The Nigerian striker is now the fourth Napoli player to score 16 goals in the first 21 Serie A games of the season, after Luis Vinicio in 1955-56, Edinson Cavani in 2012-13 and Gonzalo Higuain in 2015-16.
According to Italian media, Gazzetta dello Sport, the Napoli striker has declared his intention to win the Champions League title with Napoli.
The newspaper reported that Osimhen had already disclosed this to Azzurri chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis during their first meeting before signing the contract which currently binds him until 2025.
“I want to win the Champions League,” Osimhen told De Laurentiis on that occasion.
Spalletti hailed the team’s mentality and assured them they were also aiming for Champions League glory.
“You can stick or spin and we’ve made our decision,” the Italian tactician told Sky Sport Italia.
The Parthenopeans finished top of their Champions League group stage with 15 points from six games and are also preparing for the round of 16 against Eintracht Frankfurt on February 21 and Spalletti is aiming to take each day as it should be .
“There are times in life when you get results and then you can stick or twist. We have no doubt about that, we made the decision to play doubles, attack every game and try to achieve something for the love of those fans who were all praying for us today. We have to be proud of the love the Neapolitans have for us and translate it onto the pitch.”
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