'Working with Conte is a privilege', says Napoli defender Gutierrez

Miguel Gutierrez called it a "privilege" to be able to work under Antonio Conte at Napoli.

The left-back joined the Serie A champions this summer from Girona for a reported €18m transfer fee, but missed the start of the season with an ankle injury.

The Spaniard made his first appearance in Napoli's 2-1 defeat to AC Milan last weekend, and also started in their Champions League win against Sporting CP in midweek. 

Ahead of their upcoming league match against struggling Genoa, Gutierrez praised both Conte and his team-mates for their approach to the sport.

"Working with Conte and his staff is a privilege for me: they have won so much," Gutierrez told Radio CRC.

"It's a big challenge and this coach can help me improve a lot technically and tactically.

"I like to play inside the pitch but also wide. I adapt to what the coach asks of me.

"The dressing room is spectacular, the people here welcomed me straight away. It's like a family and this is very important for a player arriving from abroad.

"I've never seen a place where people live football in this way. This aspect motivates me a lot."

Napoli are currently second in Serie A following their loss to Milan, who now top the league, but a home fixture against Genoa provides the perfect opportunity to bounce back.

The visitors have picked up just two points from their opening five matches, securing draws against Lecce and Como within their first three games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Napoli – Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne has scored three goals in his first five Serie A games for Napoli, scoring from the penalty spot against Milan last time out.

Only Edinson Cavani (five), Alfredo Aglietti, Arkadiusz Milik and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (all four) have scored more in their first six appearances for the Partenopei in the competition since 1994-95.

Genoa – Lorenzo Colombo

Lorenzo Colombo scored his first Serie A goal away against Napoli in August 2022 during his time at Lecce. 

However, among strikers in this season's Italian top-flight, only Moise Kean (450) and Santiago Gimenez (393) have played more minutes than the Genoa striker (354) without scoring a goal or providing an assist.

MATCH PREDICTION – NAPOLI WIN

Napoli are unbeaten in each of their last 15 home games against Genoa in Serie A (W9 D6). Only against Hellas Verona (20) do they have a longer unbeaten home run among their current opponents in the competition.

With the 2-1 defeat against Milan, Napoli's run of 16 consecutive unbeaten matches in Serie A ended (W11 D5), though they have not recorded two consecutive league defeats since December 2023, under Walter Mazzarri.

Among teams that have taken part in both of the last two editions of Serie A, Napoli are the only one unbeaten at home in the league in 2025. They have registered nine wins and three draws, for an average of 2.5 points per game, lower only than Juventus (2.58).

Genoa, meanwhile, have won only one of their last 24 Serie A matches against Napoli (D8 L15), a 2-1 on February 6, 202. Furthermore, the Rossoblu have conceded an average of 2.3 goals per game in their nine most recent matches against the Partenopei.

And with just two points from their first five matchdays, Genoa have equalled their worst start in Serie A in the three-point-for-a-win era, having matched their tally from the 2017-18 season, though they were able to recover from their slow start to finish 12th. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Napoli – 62.5%

Draw – 22.1%

Genoa – 15.5%