Conte: ‘One game at a time’

Antonio Conte still refuses to talk about the Scudetto as he prepares his table-topping Juventus side for a difficult couple of games.

The Bianconeri travel to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night for Week 13's top-of-the-table clash with Lazio, before then heading further south on Tuesday for the rearranged Week 11 fixture with Napoli.

In preparing for the challenging double-header, Conte has again brushed off suggestions that the Old Lady are thinking about the title race as early as Week 13.

“When will I talk about the Scudetto? Never,” began Conte to the assembled Press, before as Juve’s official website recount, re-evaluating and opening up to the possibility of doing so, but only later in the campaign.

“We’re working to build something important. At the end of the first half of the season, once we’ve faced every team, we’ll be able to assess how we’re developing and take stock of the situation.

“We’re currently doing extraordinary things and performing beyond expectations. However, even in other seasons we have started well only to end badly.”

The 42-year-old also intimated that the team’s thoughts are only of the next encounter.

“We’ll take things one game at a time. There’s no fear from our point of view: we’ll go there to play our brand of football, looking to take the game to the opposition as we always do. We’ll only think about Napoli after the final whistle.

“We’ll be up against a strong team who finished above us last season, Lazio have strengthened considerably and [Edy] Reja’s doing a great job.

“They’re a very physical side, we have great respect for their work and individuals such as [Miroslav] Klose, [Djibril] Cissé, [Abdoulay] Konko, [Federico] Marchetti… quality players who have settled into an already important unit.”

Andrea Pirlo remains a doubt for the two games after picking up a knee injury after a training ground clash.

“There are two more training sessions to undergo. We know that the season does not end either in Rome or Naples, so we will make careful evaluations with Andrea and we will take the most appropriate decision.”