Napoli host Arsenal delegation for pre-match lunch
The two clubs kept up the Champions League tradition of a pre-match lunch between officials, hours before kick-off at the Maradona this evening.
SSC Napoli welcomed the Arsenal FC delegation on Wednesday 9 September for the traditional institutional lunch that precedes Champions League matches, the ritual meeting between the two clubs before their teams take to the pitch.
It was the first close contact between the two clubs on the day of Allegri's European debut as Napoli head coach, with kick-off at the Maradona set for 21:00 CET against last season's Champions League finalists. The Arsenal delegation had landed in Naples three hours late the previous evening, touching down at Capodichino airport at 21:40 and missing the pre-match press conference with Arteta and Calafiori. Wednesday's lunch was therefore the first official meeting between the two clubs since that delay.
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Attention from police remains high around the game. The Maradona will not sell out, with around 45,000 tickets sold out of 54,726 available seats, while the Questura (the local police headquarters) is closely monitoring the arrival of the 1,500 Arsenal supporters expected in the city. The stadium turnstiles open at 18:00, three hours before kick-off.
With the protocol duties out of the way, the day now moves into its most anticipated phase, as Allegri's side prepare to face Arsenal in their opening League Phase match of the Champions League.
Source: Virgilio
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