Spalletti confident of Champions League response after Napoli thrashed by Milan

Luciano Spalletti is confident Napoli will bounce back when they face Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals, having seen his side suffer a crushing 4-0 defeat against the Rossoneri.

The Serie A leaders collapsed at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday, as the outstanding Rafael Leao scored twice for Stefano Pioli’s rampant visitors.

While Napoli remain 16 points clear of their closest rivals Lazio, the defeat is their heaviest in Serie A since a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Atalanta in December 2007.

With Napoli looking certain to end a 33-year wait to win the Scudetto, their upcoming Champions League tie with Milan represents their most important assignment remaining this season, and Spalletti expects the Partenopei to improve for those games.

Asked whether the result represented a bump in the road for Napoli, Spalletti said: “Let’s hope it’s a hole and not a chasm.

“Tonight I saw great willingness on the part of the boys, I’m very confident. We’ll go back to work tomorrow morning for the next one.

“Here, we played against the Italian champions, they are a team of the highest level. Last year they deservedly won the title – if you get something wrong you’ll get a clear result.”

4 – Prior to AC Milan, the last side able of scoring four away goals against the first-placed team at the start of a Serie A matchday was Fiorentina, against Inter on 27 September 2015 (4-1). Dizziness.#NapoliMilan

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 2, 2023

Asked whether the result could have a psychological impact on the Champions League tussle, he added: “We don’t know.

“We’ve always reacted since I’ve been here. Sometimes we’ve lost a few games, but we have always reacted.”

Napoli have lost two of their last three home games in Serie A (W1), as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 20 league matches in Naples.

Spalletti’s side also recorded 20 shots without scoring in a league game for the first time since December 2021, when they managed 26 attempts in a 1-0 defeat to Spezia.

Napoli visit Lecce in their next Serie A game on Friday, before travelling to San Siro for the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie five days later.