Napoli fan and London resident Claudia Ferrara

Published: 11 December, 2013

NAPOLI, who were founded by an English sailor, host Arsenal in tonight’s crunch Champions League clash. With more at stake for the Italian side than for the Gunners, one London-based Napoli fan remains optimistic of victory.

Neopolitan Claudia Ferrara, a 25-year-old linguist, said: “If we perform like we did at the Emirates, then it’s ‘arrivederci’.

“If Wenger’s men score – which would then leave us needing four goals – then yes, the dream of qualifying from Group F is probably ‘finito’ for us.

“But miracles can happen. This is, after all, the city of the hand of God. Three decades since Maradona’s glorious spell for us, Gooner fans can still expect to see the face of the ‘son of Naples’ on flags, banners and street murals. Anyone who saw him play – or passed him on a Naples street – has the divine right to forever sing, ‘ho visto Maradona’.

“I was not even born when the Argentinian descended from the skies and landed his helicopter on the sacred turf, changing Napoli forever. 

“Today, with a lifesize statue in town and even the odd shrine, the legend lives on. His name is as household as mozzarella and pizza back home. As if his contribution to popular culture was not enough, Maradona’s Argentina even faced Italy in a dramatic World Cup semi-final in 1990 – in Naples, of all places.

“If we can overcome Arsenal in that same San Paolo stadium, who better to guide us to victory than current coach Rafa Benitez? From his time in another certain port city, he’s got form as a worker of Champions League miracles. The Spaniard has even compared Napoli to Liverpool.

“Can we climb a mountain the size of Vesuvius and win by that crucial three-goal margin? As we say in Italy, “Perche no!?”