Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for real? The next 4 games are a real test

ROME (AP) — Antonio Conte’s Napoli has been unbeatable since mid-August.

Now comes the real test.

The Serie A leader will travel to the San Siro twice for games at AC Milan and Inter Milan in a space of less than two weeks and also play Atalanta and Roma over its next four matches. The rough stretch starts on Tuesday at Milan.

If Napoli can keep the lead or stay near the top after these four games, the Partenopei will be a serious contender for their second Italian title in three years — an achievement that would improve upon the two “scudetti” in four years that the club won with Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990.

Having won eight of its last nine matches — interrupted only by a 0-0 draw at Juventus in September — Napoli hasn’t lost since getting beat by Hellas Verona in its Serie A opener on Aug. 18.

“We have amassed the points we needed to,” Conte said, “and now it’s never a walk in the park to play at the San Siro — whether it’s against Inter or Milan.”

Since the loss to Verona, Napoli has scored 16 goals and conceded two.

But Conte’s side could be challenged by a Milan team that is rested after its match on Saturday was postponed due to flooding in Bologna.

Two key Milan players are suspended, though: Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders.

“Milan is certainly a strong team, who let us not forget was 22 points clear of Napoli last season and invested heavily on the transfer market,” Conte said.

After winning Serie A under Luciano Spalletti in 2023, Napoli went through three different coaches last season when it finished 10th to miss out on Europe.

Conte signed a three-year contract in June and has made an almost immediate impact.

“Antonio is able to get inside the players’ heads,” said Ciro Ferrara, a former teammate of Conte’s at Juventus turned analyst at DAZN. “He’s able to extract the best out of his players.”

Conte has also been a serial winner as a manager, amassing three Serie A titles at Juventus, Premier League and FA Cup trophies at Chelsea and another Serie A title at Inter Milan. He even guided Bari to the Serie B title before he moved to Juventus.

Conte convinced Romelu Lukaku to rejoin him at Napoli after the pair won at Inter and the Belgian striker has filled in well for the departed Victor Osimhen. Another player who has made an immediate impact is midfielder Scott McTominay, who joined in August after playing for Manchester United his entire career.

It was McTominay’s header that led to a goal for Giovanni Di Lorenzo in a scrappy 1-0 win over Lecce on Saturday.

Newly signed David Neres has also been a force, giving Napoli more options beyond Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wings.

Napoli has won its opening five home games at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for only the third time; having also achieved the feat with Maradona himself in 1989 and under Spalletti in 2021.

It’s two tough away tests at the San Siro, though, that could give more credence to Napoli’s potential.

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Napoli players celebrate their 1-0 win at the end of the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Giovanni Di Lorenzo celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures before the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Cyril Ngonge, right, shoots the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, left, and Lecce's Federico Baschirotto challenge for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

VADODARA, India (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India's first private military aircraft plant on Monday, boosting New Delhi's ambitions of growing local manufacturing in its defense and aerospace industries.

Sanchez was welcomed to the country with a roadshow in Gujarat state's Vadodara city where hundreds of people cheered and waved banners.

The two leaders then launched the Tata Aircraft Complex, the manufacturing hub which will produce the Airbus C-295 transport military aircraft in collaboration with Airbus Spain and to be deployed by the Indian air force.

Sanchez said the project was a triumph of Modi's vision “to turn India into an industrial powerhouse and a magnet for investment and business-to-business collaboration."

“This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and will open new doors for the arrival of other European companies,” he added.

“This new aircraft factory will boost new skills and new industries in India,” Modi said, adding that the country was now supplying parts to the world's leading aircraft companies.

The chairman of Tata conglomerate, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, hailed it as a historic day for the country's defense sector and credited the late Ratan Tata, the industrialist and former chairman who died earlier this month, for conceiving the idea more than a decade ago.

Under a $2.5 billion deal signed in 2021, Airbus will deliver the first 16 of the aircraft from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain — six of them have been delivered to the Indian air force so far. Tata Advanced Systems Ltd will produce 40 of the aircraft in the Vadodara plant, which is expected to roll out the first C-295 aircraft made in India in 2026. The aircraft can transport up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and will be able to access remote locations. It can also be used for medical evacuations and aid in disaster response and maritime patrol duties.

Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has vowed to turn India into a global manufacturing hub, including in infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and defense. As part of an effort to modernize and reform military equipment, the government has sought to grow the private defense manufacturing sector, a space previously occupied solely by the government-run organizations, and has eased foreign direct investment regulations to try and encourage companies to establish themselves in India.

The visit marks the first by a Spanish leader to India in 18 years. Modi and Sanchez have previously met on the sidelines of global summits in 2018 and 2021. During the two-day visit, Sanchez will hold talks with Modi to review ties between the countries and also speak with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

On Tuesday, Sanchez will travel to Mumbai, India's financial capital and home to Bollywood, where he is expected to interact with trade and industry leaders, and also visit film studios in an effort to grow collaboration between the Indian and Spanish entertainment industry.

Their bilateral trade stood at nearly $10 billion as of 2023. According to the Indian foreign ministry, more than 200 Spanish companies actively operate in India and around 80 Indian companies in Spain.

The two leaders are expected to sign agreements that will further boost ties and cooperation in various areas such as trade, information technology, renewable energy and defense, according to an Indian government statement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center left, and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, center right, wave to greet people from a vehicle in Vadodara, India, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center left, and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, center right, wave to greet people from a vehicle in Vadodara, India, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center left, and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, center right, wave to greet people from a vehicle in Vadodara, India, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)