The Champions League quarter-final between Milan and Napoli is reminiscent of the Scudetto tussles during Diego Armando Maradona’s era, with Ruud Gullit revealing they feared being ‘poisoned’ by their hosts.
The first leg ended 1-0 at San Siro and gives the Rossoneri a slender lead going into the decider at the Stadio Maradona on Tuesday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).
This will be the third game between the sides this month, after Milan emerged from Naples with a 4-0 Serie A victory, and revives the memories of their battles for the Scudetto in the late 1980s and early 90s.
It was during a documentary about Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi, called ‘The fairy-tale of a visionary,’ that Dutch legend Gullit explained some of the tension around the trip to Naples in May 1988.
“I remember it well because we took two private planes to Naples and I wasn’t sure why. When we got to the hotel, it was chaos, we were in the top floor and there were people screaming at us from below.
“That was when I realised the extra plan was full of security, because nobody in Naples was allowed to touch our food! They were afraid someone would put something in our food, so we were at the top floor, nobody was allowed up. Our chef, Michele, did his work and meanwhile these security agents were passing along our plates…
“The fans screamed under our hotel all night to stop us sleeping. The day of the match, the bus we were on was pelted with objects! It was an adventure for me, I couldn’t believe it.”
The Scudetto decider ended 3-2 for Milan with Marco van Basten and Pietro Paolo Virdis on target, while the hosts scored with Maradona and Careca.
When Stefano Pioli and his squad arrive in Naples this evening, they will probably not go to such lengths to protect their food from local interference.
The screaming under the hotel has also now been replaced traditionally with fireworks throughout the night instead.