Manchester City venture on to Maradona's turf

If the San Paolo in Naples is rocking to The Lovesick Soldier come full time tonight, Mancini's side will not have fared well.

Diego Maradona blows kisses to Napoli fans in the San Paolo in 2005, after ending a 14-year absence to play in Ciro Ferrara's testimonial.

It is a full generation since Diego Maradona was delivering Serie A titles and epic European nights to the supporters of Napoli. His visits to Naples these days are rare apparitions. But it is always hard to keep him out of the picture there.

Maradona is so present, iconically and historically, that news of the death of his mother in Argentina genuinely affects the place.

"My condolences to Maradona for a such a precious loss as Donna Tota," Ezequiel Lavezzi, Napoli's Argentine striker, said, referring to Maradona's mother in respectful but affectionate terms.

Maradona himself took compassionate leave from Al Wasl to return to Buenos Aires where his mother passed away on Saturday. Maradona's son-in-law, Sergio Aguero, also posted his sympathetic thoughts on the social networking site, Twitter: "We are with the Maradona family at this time."

Aguero arrived yesterday in a San Paolo stadium where supporters regard themselves as almost extended family to their idol. Aguero is family but he is in Naples wearing the colours of the opposition.

The meeting of Napoli and Manchester City hardly needed extra emotional baggage ahead of tonight's showdown in Champions League Group A.

The demand for tickets has already registered record receipts for the home club and the stakes could hardly be higher. City, second in the mini-league, stand two points ahead of the Italians with two matches to play.

It has the quality of a straight knockout tie: A draw for City would keep them in pole position to go through to the last 16 but they will be concerned that their final fixture in the group looks tougher than Napoli's.

City must face the group leaders Bayern, who beat them 2-0 in Munich, on match day six. Napoli go to Villarreal, who have yet to win a point.

If Napoli are on top, City can expect to hear from the stands a rendition of the traditional Italian ballad The Lovesick Soldier, adopted as an anthem for Maradona during the era, the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he was leading the club to glory.

Lately, the song has been reprised in honour of special goals and performances especially by Edinson Cavani, the chief of several threats to City tonight and scorer of the goal that put Napoli ahead of the Premier League leaders when the clubs met in Manchester in September, and drew 1-1.

Cavani drew a blank, as did Napoli, on Saturday against Lazio, where the atmosphere was most unlike that anticipated tonight.

The San Paolo was not full for the goalless draw, partly because supporters are focused on the Champions League, still a novelty for Napoli.

The concern within the club is that the team are similarly minded, that their resources are being stretched by involvement in two pressure competitions.

Napoli have built up a persistent habit already of dropping points in Serie A matches ahead of European assignments and, at seventh in the Italian table, albeit with a game in hand, have a task yet to ensure they are enjoying the thrill of Europe's elite this time next year.

Roberto Mancini suspects the ambience will take aback even the worldliest individuals in his powerful City squad. "It will be an incredible atmosphere," he told reporters. "At night, under the lights, Napoli almost always win at their own ground."

He exaggerates there, because Parma have taken three points from the San Paolo this season and Lazio joined Fiorentina in the distinction of escaping with a 0-0 draw. Bayern seized a point at the San Paolo, although before they left, Jupp Heynckes, their head coach, advised City they would find the place uniquely intimidating: "You get struck by the synthesis between the team and the fans. That will help give a strong Napoli team a good chance of going through."

For Aguero, who may only start on the bench, the sight of so many images of his father-in-law in the grandstands and outside the arena may feel bizarre. His name will probably be cheered as it is announced, for family reasons.

But it is if the sound of The Lovesick Soldier rings out long and loud during the match that City will have reason to worry.

11.45pm, Aljazeera Sport