Ranieri: “We want double the points we had at the halfway mark”

Claudio Ranieri insisted that he is fully focused on ensuring Sampdoria hit their points target for the season as he appeared at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“The aim from here to the end of the season is to get to 52 points,” he said. “I don’t want to see us fade at all. We’re not safe yet – and in any case, this isn’t enough for me. Our target is to get at least as many points as we did in the first half of the season.”

The next obstacle on the route to that goal is Napoli, who come to Marassi in search of the points they need to secure a Champions League spot.

“We’re up against a prestigious team with plenty of firepower,” said Ranieri. “They’re fighting to finish in the top four. They have lots of players with amazing quality. They’ve had a tricky season, but they’re doing well now and have got the full squad available. We want to reproduce the type of performance we showed at San Siro, but we need to be on our guard. I’m expecting Napoli to play the way they did in the final 20 minutes against Juventus.”

Ranieri conceded that he will need to make some changes ahead of the game on Sunday.

“The suspensions and injuries mean I’ll need to change a few things again,” he said. “I’ll make a decision on Sunday. I want 100% from my team, regardless of who we’re up against. That’s my philosophy.”

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