Having won their first Champions League match in 21 years beating Villarreal 2-0 at the San Paolo stadium, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is now dreaming of winning the whole competition.
Napoli are taking part in Europe's premier club competition for only the third time having also participated in the European Cup in 1987/88 and 1990/91.
But having finished third in Serie A last season and started their European campaign with a draw (1-1 away to Manchester City) and a win, De Laurentiis thinks his team are now ready to take on all comers.
"We play well against the big clubs because the greats bring out the best in each other," he said Thursday.
"Great teams make us play whereas it's the provincial ones we struggle against."
Napoli have had a good start to the season and sit a point off the top of the Serie A table while they are well placed in their Champions League group after two games.
On Saturday night they travel to the San Siro to take on Inter Milan in their second big domestic test of this term having already beaten AC Milan 3-1 at home.
"It will be a great game, Inter have rediscovered their spark under (Claudio) Ranieri," added De Laurentiis.
"It will be an emotional game and I'm counting on Pocho (Ezequiel Lavezzi), (Marek) Hamsik, (Juan) Zuniga and the returning (Christian) Maggio to put in a good performance against Inter.
"I'm sorry for (the injured Edinson) Cavani and I know also how much a warrior like him is disappointed not to be taking part in such a match.
"However it will also be a chance to see the reserves who need playing time."
But while De Laurentiis is thinking big, that spirit doesn't extend to the team's dilapidated stadium, the top part of which has been cordoned off for safety reasons.
Originally an 82,000-capacity arena, the third largest in Italy, it now only holds 60,000 people while the running track which surrounds the pitch is never used and provides an ugly and unnecessary backdrop.
Even so, De Laurentiis doesn't want to move to a new home.
"San Paolo won't be torn down because that is where Napoli's history was made," he said.
"It's an important history in which (Diego) Maradona played his part."
Source: AFP
