Maggio talks up Napoli´s chances

Right-back Christian Maggio believes Napoli have a good chance of catching up Juventus in the Serie A title race.

Napoli are third, five points behind Juve, and the Italy defender thinks his side have a shot of winning the Scudetto.

“(Coach Walter) Mazzarri told us that we must always think match by match, thinking only of ourselves,” the 30-year-old told reporters.

“We are still far away from Juve, but we were pleased that they drew, because it enabled us to close the gap. In the first half of the season, we did not start well, but now we know that we need to do.

Napoli forward Goran Pandev recently claimed that only top spot would be good enough for his side, and Maggio agrees.

“Pandev says he would not sign for a second place? I agree. Regarding it’s coming from someone like him who has won a lot in his career, it is always encouraging,” he added.

Finally, the former Sampdoria man played down comments from Juve’s Claudio Marchisio, who revealed he was always extra-motivated when facing the San Paolo outfit.

“Marchisio is a great guy. He didn’t want to offend anyone. In inverted commas, I also hate Juve, but it is a sporting hatred,” he said.