Barcelona V/S Napoli : Preview

With the dishonour of going trophyless for the first time since 2007-08 looming large, winning the UCL after 5 years will easily rub off the pain of not winning the La liga and their below par performances during the later stages of the competition, over the years. Having said that, the task on hand is no piece of cake as they face a stubborn Napoli side, inspired by Gennaro Gattuso who can outrival any side on their day. Their strike force is deadly to say the least. Insigne, Mertens, Lozano, Milik, Callejon, Politano can wreck havoc across defences, more so when Barca has a very poor record defensively of late. Napoli  had the most possession(59%) and the most passes in the Serie A, were the Coppa Italia champions and they were the unbeaten team in their group despite being on the same pool with defending champions, Liverpool. 

Players missing out-

FC Barcelona

Missing out influential midfielder, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal through suspension will be a cause of headache for Setien. Dembele and Umtiti are out injured. Adding to the woes is Arthur who is adamant to never represent Barca again. Puig may be handed the start as needless to say, going by his recent performances, he truly deserves a place in the XI.

SSC Napoli

Kostas Manolas, the man who broke many hearts of Barca fans in Rome is out for this clash with a rib injury. Insigne was subbed off in the last game but Napoli remain optimistic of his return to this crucial fixture. Nikola Maksimovic is also a doubt, with reports suggesting the tall Serbian is struggling with a knee injury.

Players to watch out for

FC Barcelona

1. Lionel Messi-

   
   

Be it a dead rubber league game or a pivotal Champions league game, Barca always look up to him for inspiration. Yet again, Messi’s involvement in the game will be indispensable to the team if they are to proceed further.

2. Marc Andre Ter Stegen-

    

The German stopper has to be at his very best against Napoli’s attacking threats. There’s no doubt in his ability, we all have seen him saving penalties, giving assists and what not. All eyes will be on him along with the talismanic Messi.

SSC Napoli

1. Kalidou Koulibaly-

   
   

One of the best center backs in the world right now, Koulibaly has raised his bar time and again and has chipped in with decisive performances throughout the season, both in the Serie A and the Champions league.

 

2. Dries Mertens-

   
   

Napoli are deadly at counter attacks and more often than not Mertens and Insigne manage to put the ball home. If Insigne is fully fit along with Mertens, Napoli are in for a show.

Reports suggest Barca may not go for the stereotypic 4-3-3 with either 3-5-2 wherein Roberto and Alba would be deployed as the wing backs, Semedo, Pique and Lenglet managing the defence. Rakitic, De Jong and Puig would take charge of the midfield with Messi and Suarez upfront or the more trusted 4-3-1-2 strategy which yielded great results against Villareal. With no second legs from quarter finals onwards, Barca would be eager to overcome this final second leg after which all ties would be played at neutral venues and many a surprise seems to be on the cards.