Barça journey to Naples trying to survive a chaotic Napoli and take a optimistic first leg end result again to Catalonia
SSC Napoli vs FC Barcelona
Competitors/Spherical: 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, Spherical of 16, 1st Leg
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Ferran Torres, Marcos Alonso (out)
Napoli Outs & Doubts: Victor Osimhen (doubt)
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 21, 2024, 9pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8pm GMT (UK), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 1.30am IST (India, Thursday)
Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy
Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Tips on how to watch on TV: CBS, TUDN (USA), TNT Sports activities 2 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), SONY TEN 2 (India), Movistar (Spain), others
Tips on how to watch on-line: Paramount+ (USA), Discovery+ (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a dramatic and essential win over Celta Vigo in La Liga motion on the weekend, Barcelona journey to Italy for the most important recreation of their season as far as they tackle reigning Serie A champions Napoli within the first leg of their Champions League Spherical of 16 tie on the Diego Armado Maradona Stadium in Naples on Wednesday night time.
Barça come into this one on the again of a large end result regardless of one more disappointing efficiency, however profitable at Balaídos could be very troublesome and three factors away to Celta are all the time a trigger for positivity. However they didn’t play effectively in opposition to a relegation candidate for the second week in a row, and there’s little or no cause for true optimism going into their first Champions League knockout stage match in three years.
It’s loopy to consider the truth that Xavi Hernández is about to go away the job of first crew coach and is simply now making his knockout stage debut within the Europe’s prime competitors, and the boss is hoping that is the beginning of a miracle run that catches the continent unexpectedly and offers Barça followers a cause to smile in what has been largely a depressing season.
The Spherical of 16 draw was type to Barça and gave them a sensible shot on the quarter-finals, and they need to be much more enthusiastic about the truth that that is the worst model of Napoli they might have ever hoped to face when the draw was made: the reigning Italian title holders are ninth within the desk and a staggering 27 factors off first place Inter Milan simply 24 video games into the season.
They're of their third supervisor of the season, with Slovakia nationwide crew boss Francesco Calzona set to drag double obligation and coach Napoli to attempt to save their season. Calzona was an assistant throughout Napoli’s greatest seasons underneath earlier coaches like Maurizio Sarri and their Serie A profitable supervisor in Luciano Spalletti, and Calzona is believed to have been a giant a part of the tactical plans that made these groups so harmful and enjoyable to look at.
He is aware of a big portion of the squad and has a terrific relationship with Napoli’s greatest gamers, in line with reviews, and president Aurelio Di Laurentiis believes Calzona might present the “new manager bounce” that provides Napoli an opportunity to upset Barça and provides the gamers and the followers a cause to look after the remainder of the season with the potential for a deep run in Europe.
Napoli are an entire unknown going into Wednesday’s recreation: Calzona is a really totally different coach to Walter Mazzarri, who was sacked after simply three months due to a defensive philosophy that didn’t work effectively with the squad’s identification. Mazzarri modified formations and performed a again 5 with a low block for many of his time in cost, however Calzona is anticipated to return to the attacking 4-3-3 setup that labored so effectively underneath Sarri and Spalletti.
Napoli can even be boosted by the return of their prime scorer in striker Victor Osimhen from the African Cup of Nations, and the Nigerian is anticipated to guide the road and use his scary mixture of energy, measurement and pace to trigger issues to a really weak Barça protection. Osimhen’s return can also be excellent news for Georgian winger Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was among the finest gamers in Europe final season however hasn’t been the identical this time period and struggled mightily underneath Mazzarri and with out Osimhen as his attacking companion.
Normaly a crew of their third supervisor of the season could be a simple opponent, however Napoli are too proficient and too good at house to be counted out of this tie. And so they’re not dealing with one of the best crew in Europe, both: Barça have struggled all season for consistency, and Xavi is but to show himself as a coach within the continental stage. This shouldn’t be a wide-open tie however it very a lot is, and Barça’s potential to flee the chaotic ambiance in Naples on Wednesday with an excellent end result will likely be essential forward of the return leg in three weeks.
Barça can not go into this one pondering they'll kill off the tie within the first leg, and they won't even be able to it anyway. However a win is totally doable, and Napoli have by no means been weaker than they're now. It’s time to come back collectively and get the job finished, and make the second leg at house a neater job.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Iñigo, Cancelo; Christensen, De Jong; Yamal, Gündogan, Pedri; Lewandowski
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Rrahmani, Mazzocchi; Anguissa, Lobotka, Cajuste; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
PREDICTION
A brand new supervisor who’s a well-known face for the squad with an attacking philosophy trying to inject some life and confidence into a really proficient crew make Napoli are an entire unknown and a harmful proposition, particularly for a weak Barça aspect that hasn’t performed persistently effectively all season: 2-2 draw.
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