The reigning champions of Italy and Spain lock horns at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday as Napoli entertain Barcelona in the first leg of their mouth-watering Champions League last-16 tie. Given the Scudetto holders’ troubled defending campaign in Serie A, European duties could be a welcome distraction amidst another managerial shift.
Interim boss Walter Mazzarri waved goodbye to Naples for the second time after promoted Genoa held Napoli to a 1-1 draw at the weekend. Now stranded 27 points adrift of runaway Serie A leaders Inter, Partenopei parted ways with another manager this term following the sacking of Rudi Garcia earlier in the season.
Perhaps surprisingly, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis turned to Slovakia national team manager Francesco Calzona to salvage the southern giants amid a dreadful start to 2024. Languishing ninth in the Serie A table, they’ve only won two of their six league matches since the turn of the new calendar year (D2, L2).
It gets worse as Napoli wasted perhaps their best chance of adding a piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet in the Supercoppa Italiana final against Inter in January. Already out of the Coppa Italia, they must throw all the chips in the middle at Europe’s top table. Likewise, visiting Barcelona could be staring down the barrel of a trophyless campaign.
Manager Xavi Hernandez has already announced he will leave Camp Nou at the end of the season. In the meantime, he’ll try to help the Blaugrana save some pride after bowing out of both domestic cup competitions and falling eight points behind La Liga pacesetters Real Madrid. With that in mind, the Catalan powerhouse will take the field quite motivated.
Match Preview
Napoli
Napoli must overcome their perennial struggles against Spanish visitors to bolster their chances of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for only the second time in the club’s history. The Italians have registered just two victories in their 16 home matches against La Liga adversaries (D5, L9).
While it indicates another disappointing night could away the devastated Napoli faithful, Partenopei’s recent home form shows plenty of promise. They are unbeaten in their last four competitive outings at the Maradona Stadium (W2, D2) despite racking up only one clean sheet across those fixtures.
That should inspire some confidence as Napoli bid to post their first home victory against Barcelona in UEFA competitions after back-to-back failed attempts (D1, L1).
Barcelona
Barcelona needed a 97th-minute penalty, converted by Robert Lewandowski, to topple relegation-battling Celta Vigo 2-1 at the weekend and maintain their slim hopes of defending the La Liga title. Though, like Napoli, the Blaugrana can’t realistically hope to lift the league title this season, they’ll take the field in a far better mood.
Xavi’s men are unbeaten in their last four games (W3, D1) and have emerged victorious from four of their five most recent road trips (L1). However, Barcelona’s struggles in the Champions League knockout stages are long-standing. They’ve picked up just one win in their last ten away matches in the competition’s knockouts (D4, L5).
That perhaps explains why Barcelona last qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals in 2019/20.
Team News
Napoli added winter arrivals Pasquale Mazzocchi, Cyril Ngonge, and Hamed Traore to their UEFA list. While they’ll be at Calzona’s disposal, Piotr Zielinski is no longer eligible for European matches after being omitted from the squad due to his imminent agreement to join fierce rivals Inter.
On the other hand, Barcelona will have several first-team stars missing on Wednesday. The injured quartet of Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde, and Ferran Torres is on the sidelines, while Joao Felix remains doubtful because of an ankle problem. January addition Vitor Roque could make his Champions League debut amid an injury crisis in attack.
Napoli vs Barcelona Potential Lineups
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Jens Cajuste; Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Inigo Martinez, Joao Cancelo; Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Vitor Roque.
Napoli vs Barcelona Prediction
With Victor Osimhen returning to the fold after falling short of Africa Cup of Nations glory, Napoli can field their best frontline again. That’s significant when considering Barcelona can barely keep a clean sheet this season. But the Catalans can match Partenopei’s firepower, leading us to believe a scoring draw could be in store.
Prediction: Draw
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