Maradona on hand for mischief as Madrid ready to host battle royal

The modern Champions League format has little space for romance or novelty — as seen by this week’s fixture list as Arsenal and Bayern Munich, and Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, met again for the upteenth time in recent years.

But Real Madrid against Napoli at the Estadio Santiago tonight really is a glamour old-style tie, and will be added to by the presence of the Italian side’s enduring hero, Diego Maradona.

Maradona, now 56, has been personally invited to the game by Napoli’s film producer president Aurelio Di Laurentiis. He arrived in Madrid early, and immediately added some extra fizz to the build-up.