Gianluigi Donnarumma joked that his Champions League debut against Napoli could cause trouble between him and his mum.
Manchester City kick off our 15th successive season in the competition against the Italian champions at the Etihad on Thursday night at 20:00 (UK).
After making his debut with a clean sheet in a 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the derby, the goalkeeper is now set for his first European appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side.
But with his family coming from close to the southern Italian city, Donnarumma is hoping his mother will supporting the Blues from Manchester in our Champions League opener.
“I’m very tied to Napoli, I have many friends, my family live there, it’s one of my favourite places to go,” the Italian international said.
“I have so much affection for everyone, so I am very excited for tomorrow’s match.
“My mum’s having a few issues, but I’m hoping she’ll be on my side. But I’m happy to play against Napoli and such a big team for the first match.
“I hope to win the match tomorrow because I’m playing with City, and my mum might be a bit cross for one day but she’ll get over it.”
Donnarumma also has international team-mates in the opposition dressing room and knows how dangerous they will be.
“It’ll be very complicated because they defend very well, they work very well in defence but especially in attack,” he added.
“There are new players who are very strong, they’ve come from the Premier Leagye so know how to tackle and play against City. That’ll be complicated and difficult and we have to be careful.
“And then I know some of my Italian players, like Di Lorenzo, we speak often. It’ll be difficult and complicated, they’ll come here for a great match so we need to be careful in every situation.”
SUBSCRIBE TO CITY+
A CITY+ subscription unlocks a host of exclusive content throughout the 2025/26 season:
70+ live fixtures, including matches from the Premier League 2, UEFA Youth League, Barclays Women’s Super League, Subway League Cup (subject to broadcast scheduling), Under-18 Premier League North and FA Youth Cup.
Full-match replays of every men’s first-team game will be available within 24 hours after kick-off and will be followed by our brand new 20-minute highlights package.
Award-winning City Studios documentaries, including Together, our documentary on our former Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, who has called time on his 13-year career with the Club, and other behind-the-scenes feature-length films.
CITY+ is available via an annual subscription of £34.99 a year, saving you £24 on our monthly offering.
Choose monthly and pay £4.99 a month with the option to cancel anytime.
Official Cityzens and Season Ticket Members can subscribe annually for £30 a year, a saving of £29.
SUBSCRIBE TO CITY+