Napoli director Manna hails ‘special’ Maradona anniversary & responds to Insigne links

Napoli director Giovanni Manna has praised club legend Diego Maradona, on the anniversary of his death, as his side prepare for a tricky Champions League clash with Azerbaijani side Qarabag.

It kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Bodo/Glimt-Juventus on the Liveblog.

It is the fifth anniversary of the death of Napoli legend Diego Armando Maradona, so there will be various tributes to him, including flowers laid at the feet of his statue in the stadium, and fans lifting up banners at the 10th minute.

“Naturally, this is a special day and we’d like to take the three points home for him too,” Manna told Sky Sport Italia, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

Qarabag have been the surprise outfit of the Champions League so far and have seven points from four rounds, beating Benfica and FC Copenhagen, with a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.

“The pitch is quite heavy, it has been raining all week, but we need to bring home the result, absolutely. We are up against a difficult opponent who play good football, have quality upfront, and we need to have the right approach.

“We are coming off a very positive performance, we need to continue riding that wave. Unfortunately, we lost another important player yesterday, but we keep going.”

Manna had warned for months that Napoli needed patience when making so many changes to the side that won the Scudetto last term, and some of those players are now beginning to flourish, with Noa Lang and David Neres scoring their first goals of the season in a 3-1 win over Atalanta.

“It is not a justification or an alibi. When you bring nine new people into a group, the alchemy doesn’t spark straight away. Now they have been here almost six months, we’re starting to see those results of the work.”

With the January transfer window quickly approaching, Manna was asked whether or not we can expect the Scudetto champions to bolster their team with reinforcements.

“We spent quite a lot and brought in many players. Unfortunately, we have limited options right now in midfield, we will be alert for any opportunities and see what happens.”

Finally, Manna responded to links suggesting that Napoli could be preparing for a shock return for former winger Lorenzo Insigne. The Italian left MLS side Toronto FC at the end of his contract and has been linked with a return to Italy, specifically with a move to his old club Napoli or a reunion with former coach Maurizio Sarri at Lazio.

“He is a homegrown player too! We already spoke to Lorenzo over the summer, that is well known, but we have other priorities right now in midfield where we’re limited. Lorenzo is a great player, naturally.”