Francesco Farioli says it is a “privilege and a source of pride” to face Napoli manager Max Allegri, whom the FC Porto coach regards as “one of the giants of Italian football”.
The Champions League fixture begins at Estadio do Dragao in Porto at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET), with both sides dealing with significant injury problems.
Napoli are without nine players, while Luca Marianucci is unavailable because he is ineligible for the competition. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Mathias Olivera, Stanislav Lobotka, Leonardo Spinazzola, Alisson Santos, Benoit Badiashile, Costantino Favasuli, David Neres and Alessandro Buongiorno are all sidelined.
Kevin De Bruyne appears set to operate in a more advanced role behind lone centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund, with Antonio Vergara and Matteo Politano used as wing-backs.
Farioli expects Allegri to make tactical adjustments in response to the absences on both sides.
“With the number of injuries for both teams, there will certainly be some changes to adapt to the situation,” Farioli told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
“Looking at the players who are available, I think Napoli will use three at the back, but the way they use the wings and attack will make a big difference.
“Whether they play with two strikers or one centre-forward changes things. We prepared for every possible scenario, but an experienced coach like Allegri may come up with something we have not predicted, so we must be ready to react.”
FC Porto have made a perfect start domestically and sit top of their league, but their Champions League campaign has brought three defeats. They have lost to Manchester City, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.
Farioli acknowledged that his youthful squad has struggled to manage key moments in Europe.
“We are a young team, so we certainly lack experience,” he said.
“If we counted the number of Champions League appearances among the players on the pitch today, there would be a gap between us and Napoli. Our performances have not been bad, but we have lacked the ability to read the important moments in matches.
“What happens in both penalty areas is decisive, and we have been missing something there. We want to improve this evening and be more concentrated.”
The Italian has built his coaching career in Turkiye, the Netherlands and Portugal and has never managed in Italian football. He said his priority was to represent FC Porto rather than view the match as a contest between an Italian and a Portuguese club.
“I have a big responsibility representing an important club like FC Porto. More than a battle with an Italian team, my focus is on representing Porto in the Champions League,” he said.
“Allegri is one of the giants of Italian football, so it is a privilege and a source of pride to share the touchline with a coach of this level.”
