Napoli director Giovanni Manna says Kevin De Bruyne is operating in a role that is “historically more congenial” to him against FC Porto, while admitting the club knew Benoit Badiashile represented an injury risk.
Napoli’s Champions League match at Estadio do Dragao kicks off at 20:00 GMT (21:00 CET), with the Italian side severely depleted. They have 10 players unavailable through injury or ineligibility, leaving only three senior outfield substitutes on the bench.
De Bruyne had been a major doubt after suffering an ankle sprain in Sunday’s 2-0 Serie A defeat by Juventus. However, the Belgium international starts behind Rasmus Højlund, who is Napoli’s only recognised striker in the starting XI.
“Kevin is a top player, he has proved he can play anywhere. Tonight he is perhaps in a position that is historically more congenial, but he proved that he can do well as a playmaker in Serie A and the Champions League too,” Manna told Sky Sport Italia.
“Tonight’s formation is based on how many players are actually available, and we had to choose from there.”
De Bruyne has made no secret of his frustration at being used as a deep-lying playmaker by manager Max Allegri in recent weeks. His more advanced position against Porto gives him the opportunity to influence the game further forward.
“The Champions League is still long, we are in a delicate moment of the season, but it’s important to put in a strong performance and give our all,” Manna added.
Napoli have endured a succession of injuries over the past three years, an issue previously raised by former manager Antonio Conte and one that has continued under Allegri.
“We’ve had a lot of traumatic injuries too, like Di Lorenzo last year and Lobotka this time,” Manna said.
“We knew that there were players like Badiashile who were a risk due to past problems, Buongiorno we were aware of, Anguissa had trouble last season and is recovering, David Neres had a relapse, these things can happen.
“It’s not an alibi, we are here and will play our game.”
The club could look to strengthen during the January transfer window, particularly in attack, where Højlund has been relied upon almost continuously.
“The only place where we’re lacking is in attack, as today we’ve got two strikers, plus Giovane and Vergara who can play there. Alisson Santos is someone we never really had this season, but he doesn’t have a long history of injuries, so it was a new development,” Manna said.
