Napoli welcome Barcelona to Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie.
With three wins and three draws, the Italian side made it through the group stage unbeaten. Napoli kicked of their campaign with an eye-catching 2-0 victory over Liverpool before drawing with the reigning European champion at Anfield in the reverse fixture.
Positive results against Red Bull Salzburg and Genk saw Napoli finish one point behind Liverpool in Group E, while the Italians also boast the joint second-best defensive record in the competition.
🎙 @Lor_Insigne “Non dobbiamo avere paura”⚽️ #NAPBAR💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/r9ss8Uiuv1— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) February 24, 2020
🎙 @Lor_Insigne “Non dobbiamo avere paura”⚽️ #NAPBAR💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/r9ss8Uiuv1
Napoli’s season has been blighted by off-field issues. A run of four wins in their last five league games does point towards a change in fortune, but they have been wildly unpredictable throughout 2019/20.
On the other hand, Barcelona were also unbeaten in the group stage. The Spanish club finished four points clear of Borussia Dortmund in Group F and also did the double of Inter Milan.
Barcelona come into this game on the back of a four-game winning streak and the Catalan giants hammered Eibar 5-0 in their previous game.
Lionel Messi put on a masterclass as he scored four on Saturday, while the little magician also has six assists in his last four appearances.
Barcelona have reclaimed top spot in La Liga and currently sit two points ahead of Real Madrid. Quique Setien’s side have scored a whopping 62 goals in 25 league games this term – an average of just under 2.5 goals per game.
The Spanish club are going in search of their sixth Champions League triumph this season, while Napoli have never won Europe’s top prize.
Looking at the teams news, Barcelona’s Junior Firpo is likely to fill in for the injured Jordi Alba at left-back. Sergio Roberto has also been ruled out due to injury.
New striker Martin Braithwaite is ineligible for the Champions League, so Setien has a selection dilemma in attack. Elsewhere, Frenkie de Jong is expected to come back into the starting eleven.
Napoli trio Allan, Piotr Zielinski and Arkadiusz Milik are all pushing for a return to the starting line-up. But manager Genaro Gattuso could stick with the same players that beat Brescia last time out.
Barcelona will come into this game full of confidence following their big win at the weekend. However, Napoli have also found some form of late, so this could be a tight game.
Forebet predicts that Napoli will hold Barcelona to a goalless draw.