El Shaarawy: Little details could prove key on Sunday

The forward believes the Giallorossi have proven they deserve to finish at least second after a demanding campaign - but is well aware the job is far from done yet.

Interviewer: With five games left to play, the objective is to maintain your grip on second place.

El Shaarawy: “I think it's what we deserve given the season we've had. We have three tough games coming up one after the other but finishing second is very important to us.”

What impact did starting with a Champions League play-off have on the rest of the campaign? The Lazio game will be your 50th of the season...

“There's no advantage to be had in starting with a make-or-break tie. Unfortunately we weren't able to qualify for the Champions League but I think we had a decent Europa League campaign. The match against Lyon didn't go the way we'd hoped and our biggest mistake was the first leg. This match against Lazio is our 50th of the season and it's a derby, where the little details can make all the difference.

"I expect it will be a tense encounter, as it always is. Tough and intense. But we're in good form at the moment: we were excellent against Pescara and we're full of confidence.”

What went wrong for you in the two-legged Coppa Italia tie against Lazio?

“We came up a bit short in the first leg and got caught on the counter twice. We were always going to leave them space in the return leg as we had to come from behind. You can't concede too many goals in games like that. The big positive to take from the two ties against Lyon and Lazio was the way we fought back in the return leg. We won them both but it wasn't enough.”

What do you need to do to secure a result on Sunday?

“We'll need to stay fully focused for 90 minutes – there have been times when we haven't managed to do that. Lazio sit back and defend and they're good on the counter but we're ready and confident.”

You've played against Lazio three times now. How is the derby different to other games?

“Personally I love playing in derbies. I've played in the Milan derby before too but it's different here. Plus we had the Curva back last time...”

What difference does the Curva Sud make?

“Playing with the Curva behind you gives you a massive boost. The fans put their heart and soul into cheering for this club. They make you stronger.”

Would you describe yourself as a 'derby man'?

“I get a special feeling inside me when the derby comes around. But we need to treat it like any other game. We need to win to keep Napoli at arm's length.”