Conte: Defending the title is an extremely difficult goal! Naples s newly promoted team, De Bruyne welcomes his debut

This weekend, the 2025-26 Serie A will kick off. Defending champion Napoli faces a away test in the first round, and his opponent is Sassuolo, the Serie B champion last season. Belgian midfielder De Bruyne, who joined freely this summer, is confirmed to be on the starting list, and the former Manchester City core will make his Serie A debut.

34-year-old De Bruyne won multiple honors during his 10 years at Manchester City, and became the assist king of the top five European leagues in the same period with 170 assists (Messi ranked second in 147 times). After completing the free transfer in June, he has quickly integrated into the new environment. Coach Conte said: "Kevin immediately understood the differences between the teams, and he adapted perfectly with humility, concentration and wisdom. "

As Lukaku was injured in the preseason against Olympiacos, Italian striker Lorenzo Luca, who came on loan from Udinese, is also expected to make his debut. He scored 12 goals in Serie A last season and has scored 20 league goals since the 2023-24 season. He is the youngest player to achieve this achievement. His 8 headers scored only second only to Zapata (10) in the same period.

Despite the strengthening of the lineup, Conte remained cautious: "If I can be the first coach to lead Napoli to win Serie A, it will prove the arduousness of this task. We must remain calm, which is an extremely difficult goal. We will move forward quietly and speak with the facts - what we need now is to prove ourselves on the court. "

Opponent Sassuolo won the Serie B championship with 25 wins last season, scoring 78 goals (expected goals 54.8). The team's top scorer Laurient contributed 18 goals and 5 assists, and scored 5 goals in the last 7 rounds and became the key to the upgrade.

On the data level, Napoli only conceded 27 goals last season to win Serie A, and Conte averaged 2.24 points per game in coaching Serie A (calculated on three-point basis). In the last seven league matches between the two sides, Napoli remained unbeaten, and Sassuolo's last victory dates back to November 2020.