This Wednesday evening, at 9 p.m., Naples welcomes FC Barcelona, in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League. A meeting to follow live on our site.
The double confrontation between Naples and FC Barcelona is the biggest poster of these knockout stages of the Champions League. Stuck in ninth place in Serie A, the Italian club has just parted ways with its coach Walter Mazzari. Francesco Calzona was recruited to replace him, becoming one of the rare coach-selectors since he will not leave his position within the Slovak federation.
For his debut with Napoli, the Italian technician will not be able to field Zielinski, who was not included on the list for this second round of the C1. “We will play this match to win ithe warned at a press conference. Barça is one of the strongest teams in Europe, with great players and a great coach, but we are not afraid, we are Napoli. Starting against an opponent of this caliber doesn’t scare me. Naples is also a strong team, they demonstrated it last season and also this season during certain phases. »
“It’s 50/50”
In the opposing camp, Xavi will not be able to rely on Marcos Alonso, Balde, Gavi and Ferran Torres, all injured. The Catalans currently sit third in La Liga, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid.
“We have enthusiasm and hope, said the Blaugrana coach, who will leave his post at the end of the season. These are the ingredients needed to put in a great performance against a Napoli side who changed coaches before the match. It’s not easy to prepare for a meeting like this. We face the current Italian champion. I don’t consider us favorites, I think it’s 50/50. I know we have to show on the pitch that we are better than Napoli, tomorrow and in a few weeks, the rest doesn’t matter. »
The probable compositions
Naples: Meret – Østigård, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus – Di Lorenzo, Zambo Anguissa, Lobotka, Mazzocchi – Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
Barcelona : Ter Stegen – Koundé, Ronald Araújo, Iñigo Martínez, João Cancelo – De Jong, Christensen, Gündoğan – Yamal, Lewandowski, Pedri.
Where to watch the game ?
This round of 16 first leg of the Champions League between Naples and FC Barcelona will be broadcast this Wednesday on Canal + and RMC Sport 1, from 9 p.m. It will also be possible to watch it on the streaming platforms of the two groups, MyCanal and RMC Sport.
