This time he won’t be facing the man widely regarded as the greatest player in the history of the game when he takes his record-breaking Manchester City team to the southern Italian city.
But Mancini and his team – who after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Newcastle have made the best start to a season of any team in the history of the Premier League - flew out filled with the belief that they can secure the win which would take them into the knock-out phase of the Champions League.
And the Blues boss can draw on some happy memories of a stadium which is renowned as the most intense in Italian football.
“In Naples as a player for Sampdoria in 1990 when we won Serie A, we started our run to the championship with a 4-1 win against a Naples team that included Maradona - I scored two and Gianluca Vialli scored the other two,” he said.
“I have good memories of Naples. It is one of my favourite Italian grounds. It is very good to play there because the stadium is big, the pitch is good and the atmosphere is good.”
Mancini also has strong personal connections to the city, as both his wife and his mother are Neapolitans – but this game is strictly business.
“It is important to me personally going back to Italy because it is a very big game for Manchester City. When we played Juventus last season in the Europa League last season it wasn’t so important.”
But he also has some bad memories of the San Paolo.
“I was a substitute when Italy lost to Argentina in Naples in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. Sometimes I have lost there - with Inter we lost 1-0 there when we won the championship.
“It can happen in Naples because they are a good team.
“There will be 60,000 people and the atmosphere will be fantastic, but it will be important for us to focus on the game and not to concede a lot of space for Naples because they are a fantastic team.
“The supporters are very close to the team. The atmosphere is totally different from any other stadium in Italy.”
Napoli grabbed a draw at the Etihad Stadium in the Blues’ first Champions League fixture, and were a constant counter-attacking threat.
With the Serie A side needing to win to get back in the driving seat for second place in Group A, Mancini believes it will be a different game.
“In the home game we left a lot of space for them [Napoli] to counter-attack, and Napoli are fantastic at that,” he said.
“We learned a lot from that game. It was our first game in the Champions League and we were nervous.
“We left a lot of space and Naples are very good on the counter-attack with players like Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Marek Hamsik. They are very dangerous.”
City hope to going into the game with a full squad. Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero both gave fans a scare when they appeared to limp off in Saturday’s Newcastle win, but both are expected to be fit.
Yaya may also be asked to play three games in eight days, as the Blues face Napoli and then Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The big Ivorian is the only outfield player to have started every Premier League and Champions League game this season, and he has only been substituted three times, each time when the game was won.
Mancini hinted that Yaya, who also played more football than any other outfield player last season, will continue to start, despite another key man, David Silva, being rested.
“Yaya is strong, he is tall,” said Mancini. “David is short - it is a difference. Also Yaya only played one game for the Ivory Coast last week, and David played two [for Spain].
“But the moment will also arrive when Yaya goes onto the bench.”
Midfielder Owen Hargreaves is ineligible for the competition while striker Carlos Tevez is still away in Argentina.
Napoli have been inconsistent of late and are without a win since October 26.
The drew 0-0 with high-flying Lazio at the weekend, but are expected to field dangerous trio Marek Hamsik, Cavani, and Lavezzi.
Manchester City (from): Hart, Pantilimon, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Lescott, Kompany, Savic, K Toure, Clichy, Kolarov, Nasri, Milner, Y Toure, Barry, De Jong, Silva, Johnson, Dzeko, Aguero, Balotelli.
Napoli (from): Sanctis, Campagnaro, Aronica, Dossena, Fernandez , Hamsik, Dzemaili, Pandev, Inler, Zuniga, Maggio,Cavani, Lavezzi, Mascara, Rosati, Grava, Santana, Fideleff.
Key opponent: Cavani - close one between him and Lavezzi as both are dangerous attacking threats
Prediction: Napoli 1 City 2 - Napoli might well score, but with the pressure on them to attack, City should be able to exploit gaps to win.
Agree with the prediction? Have your say.
Click here for all the latest odds from Betfred. Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
This could well be the sternest test of the season so far, and if we come away from this with all three points, the rest of Europe will be on alert. City are on the march!
It's going to be tough, but our attacking class will prevail, 3-1 to Manchester's only CL representatives.
Hope everyone who is going comes back safe. The many who will be wating from the UK wish all the luck, and just make sure you're all in ok for Sunday.
a draw not the end of the world cos i think we can beat bayern at home who will already have qualified with a positive result v villareal....and if we HAVE to win at home then i think we will.
hope it doesnt come to that but napoli still need more points than us and we could still finish top .....
Napoli situated between two volcanic regions, come tuesday a Mancunian volcano come earthquake will be slap bang in the middle of Naples.
City are made of stern stuff these days. We have backup options in just about every position in the team - which gives us chance to rest players during this crazy fixture list of games every three days or so. Great to see David Silva, Gareth Barry rested for most of Saturday - and Edin Dzeko rested for the whole game. City - you are an absolute delight to watch. We the fans can't thank you enough for the pleasure you've given us this season.
I'm nervous about this one. A good result will set us up for the tough fixture list we have over the next month. If we win we can also rest players against Bayern. The important thing is to get through to the knock out stages. I think Roberto will take his chances against any team in the knock out stages. If we win I think it will still be difficult to top the group.
A win away to Napoli will also give the players more confidence to go to places like Anfield and win. A loss may deflate them before such a big game.
I'm hoping we'll sneak it one nil. I can see the same team that hammered United starting, and trying to hit them on the Counter attack.
Midfielder Owen Hargreaves is ineligible for the competition while striker Carlos Tevez is still away in Argentina......Oh my I hadn't realised this, schock horror! Why on Earth do you have to keep mentioning that these two are not available in the preview to every match MUEN? Please concentrate on the many players that do have available for matches Forza City!
I really think City will win, Mancini will have a plan up his sleeve believe me.
Aguero and Balo up front to start,Yaya, Milner, Silva,clichy komp and Richards to start too then you can fill in the blanks. I think If Dzeko comes on he'll score.
CTID....
They have to attack us, they can't afford a draw. It could play right into our hands. Agree with the 1-2 scoreline. Come on Blues!!!
if city are on their "A" game they will beat anyone no matter who they are.
All so i would like to thank Gael clichy for his wonderful positioning twice in the Newcastle game when Joe had to spill it again through no fault of his own making a fantastic save Gael clichy was there to tidy up and there strikers did not get an easy tap in
Come on CITY we will be watching you and shouting from the roof top
COME ON CITY COME ON
CTID
PS
Carlos Tevez IS not! a city player he chose his own future not us, so please stop mentioning him in the same breath as the team players he is invisible to us for what he has done it was unforgivable.
Making no predictions,i just want City to win,its that simple , isn't it? Come on you BLUES.
Hi all fellow blues , this season so far has been great in the PL and slow in the CL , I hope we have the mental strength to win tomorrow night knowing the results at home with Bayern is a group leaders decider - this is the reason why all city fans still believe this season is not down to luck - but team performance , the team we have now will be able to compete against the best teams in Europe for years to come ..Ignore the media bull and back City for the Win ..
Confident about this one.
I predict a slow start, but a 0-2 result in the away team's favour.
i wonder what City fans will copy from this game and come back congratulating themselves with?
Yaya is the big occasion player.
Seems unbelievable now that Silva missed those cast iron chances in the Cup Final.
But what did the big man do in the semi and the final - bury it!
Nervous about this game, toughest test yet and the lads under real pressure here. Come on city!
It will be a real test for us tonight,I hope he at least retains the same back four and keeps Balotelli up front .
United will have to overcome a team who has Jesus on their side!
1st 20 mins is the time we need to be careful. We never seem to score in the 1st 20. Love to see us get off to a flier. But still believe we will come away 2 - 0 winners. Then Bayern will be battered at our place. We were the better team for the 1st 30 away. When we had 2 clear pens turned down. But then we lost our way.
Napoli the best team we have played this season on the evidence of the 1-1 home draw. This will be the hardest game of the season, and the game with most at stake that I can remember. If City win this, then the rest of Europe certainly will sit up and take notice.
3-1 manchester city
Tie-breaking criteria if two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria would be applied to determine the rankings:
1.higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question; - so if we draw with them this does not count.
2.superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question; - same again, if we draw this does not count.
3.higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question; - again, if we draw this does not count.
4.higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question; - we need a goal scoring draw if we do draw!!
5.If, after applying criteria 1) to 4) to several teams, two teams still have an equal ranking, the criteria 1) to 4) will be reapplied to determine the ranking of these teams;
6.superior goal difference from all group matches played; - if we do draw and then draw against Bayern, if Napoli win Villareal by more than one goal they go through
7.higher number of goals scored from all group matches played; - we have both scored 6 up to now so if we draw against Napoli and Bayern and Napoli only win Villareal 1 – 0 they we need a goal scoring draw with Bayern.
8.higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons. - Wasn't they in pot 2? So it would be in their favour.
So basically if we do draw, there is a good chance we would need more than a draw against Bayern for the last game. Like you said, not the end of the world but wouldn't it be so much better for us is we got a result so we can concentrate on league! :-)
biggest game of the season, biggest game since gillingham in the 1999 play off final. Win this and our profile will sky rocket especially if we draw a big team in the knockout stage........
They will throw everything they have at us for the first 20 mins, but if we defend well I think we can win this game. COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!!!!
There is no ifs' or butts about it, the butt slashers should stay at home. City fans only want to enjoy a game of football.