The two clubs meet tomorrow in the round of 16, with Conte previewing the game today.
Conte takes the floor:
"Before starting, I wanted to send a big hug to Edoardo Bove on behalf of myself and all the boys, we are all with him and we hope to see him soon, as soon as possible, doing what he does very well."
On the value of the match and whether the Coppa Italia is a goal:
"Our goal is to grow, build something, to grow you need to play as much as possible. This year in some ways it is penalizing for many players because we only have the championship and we have the Coppa Italia, we played two games, the first ever with Modena, then with Palermo there was the possibility of giving space to players who had had less until that moment and tomorrow we will have another clear opportunity to test a little the growth of everyone.
"It is important to prepare well, moving forward in the Coppa Italia means having other opportunities, more space to demonstrate that improvements are being made, to understand well also for the club, for the players, even for me... up until now we have been good and lucky not to have injuries. We had Mazzocchi's, a lot was focused on a limited number of players, it is an important moment to make assessments and for the players and we face it with commitment and desire."
Yesterday Inter president Beppe Marotta said that Napoli are favourites for the Scudetto, what do you think?
"I repeat, the director can say what he wants, certainly knowing him very well, having worked with him, but I think that at the end of the year if Inter were not to win the Scudetto he would not be very happy and would not consider the season a good season. I can say this because I know him very well, then everyone has to play their part, maybe even someone from within can push him to say something like this but I repeat, we are talking about a team that does not have two teams, but two teams and three quarters, therefore cosmic nothingness.
"They are concentrating a lot on us and perhaps they do not see who could really be the one bothering them. But I am absolutely convinced that these are words that are carried away by the wind, if they were not to win it he would not be very happy and many should ask themselves questions."
Was there a reference to Atalanta?
"Everyone, every club, starts the year with objectives, then we can declare what we want but in the end internally everyone knows if the objectives have been achieved or not. Then I understand that someone tries to pass the buck, but there are facts. We must respond to our club, to the ambition of the club, to the objectives set together, everyone knows the real objective. Everything is fine with me, we know... at the beginning of the year and De Laurentiis has also said it several times. It's a little game that makes you smile, it gives you something to talk about but then you have to bring home the objective and not the chatter. I don't think that director Marotta, should he not win it, will be calm and relaxed..."
Will the choices in the Coppa be based on meritocracy, to give space to those who have played less or in view of the double challenge?
"We always look at one game at a time, so the most important one is Thursday's. Having said that, I will make some choices because there are a lot of players in the squad. We had a good start, but it shouldn't be just the merit of the 12-13 who took part, but the credit should be shared among the entire squad, those who came on, those who played little or nothing at all but kept the intensity and competition high in training. If I say something it's because I think so, if I say that there is collective growth it's because I think so.
"We can really evaluate the group, and it's important for me, for the club, also in view of some injuries or flu or other whether we are well equipped until the end or if we have to watch ourselves... it's too important. I will give space to those who have shown they deserve this space, then I hope, but I'm sure, there will be a great response as also happened with Palermo. Let's not forget that all the games must be played, with the starters we won on penalties against Modena in Serie B. Let's not chase after hypothetical things, it's It is inevitable that with all our strength we will try to move forward to give space to those who deserve it but for many reasons have not found it. We all need answers after a third of the championship."
Is this a test for some in view of the January transfer window?
"No, absolutely not, it's not a test for anyone. We mustn't be ruthless, I play players who deserve this opportunity. I repeat, from Dimaro to today I've seen a notable growth in all the players and I've also told you so, then you have to match the facts with the lads. If you tell me that I'm improving, that I'm growing and then you never let me play? We must be credible, I expressed myself on growth, on the improvement of the individual to raise the level of the team, so it's not a test for anyone, but an opportunity to say 'I'm here'. We work, by not playing we have a typical week, but at the same time there is a squad only for the championship and the Italian Cup and we must know for sure where we have to go..."
Can the Coppa Italia be won?
"You talk about winning very easily here, one gets up in the morning and talks about winning the Coppa Italia, Champions League, championship, let's win, but to win you have to build victories otherwise you won't go anywhere. Construction is the basis of victory, you have to build the ambition to be there with the others, a realistic desire, but not that of dreamers. Here is the difference, I don't take the dream away from anyone, but the reality is that there is a construction in place to last and give joy to the environment that even the environment sometimes is not compact and there is also this other difficulty. We talk about winning like drinking a glass of water, with all the respect I can have but you must also respect those who work and have a minimum of experience to build lasting things!"