Napoli: In Anticipo
Image Credit: Julia Janßsen
Napoli are revving up for their long-awaited return to Europe tomorrow night, when they host Benfica in a first-round UEFA Cup tie at the San Paolo, in what Napoli's director general Pierpaolo Marino hopes will be a festive atmosphere "welcoming Napoli back to the stage they deserve to play on." In addition to the ~1000 Benfica fans expected, it is rumored that Benfica great Eusebio will attend the match.
Benfica trainer Quique Flores called up 20 players for the trip to Napoli. The squad arrived early this afternoon to a warm welcome. Quique Flores is expected to give a press conference before an evening training session at the stadium, with the first 15 minutes open.
The Benfica callups are:
Goalkeepers Moreira, Moretto, Quim; Defenders Leo, Luisão, Maxi Pereira, Sydney, Jorge Ribeiro, Miguel Vitor; Midfielders Balboa, Binya, Carlos Martins, Di Maria, Katsouranis, Reyes, Ruben Amorim, Urreta, Yebda; Forwards Nuno Gomes, Suazo.
Napoli coach Edy Reja is looking forward to the upcoming match, declaring he and his team have no fear.
Meanwhile, D.G. Marino has also appealed to fans not to bring fireworks or smoke bombs into the stadium tomorrow, promising that use of such items will be punished severely.
Many of the sources I link to will be in Italian. For anyone who does not read Italian, Google Translate is helpful. (Occasionally it turns things into unintentionally hilarious word soup. But it mostly works) For those who do read Italian but need help with a word here or there, WordReference is a handy resource.