It will be battle of wits along the way with the return of the lucrative UEFA Champions League after a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic
and today’s fixture at Nou Camp between Barcelona and Napoli should be a foretaste of things to come.
Barcelona’s manager Quique Setien is reportedly considering switching to a back three as the match is particularly significant given their poor domestic season, in which they finished runners-up to Real Madrid in La Liga and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club in the quarter-finals.
Barcelona are in turmoil going into the Napoli clash and Setien’s future at the club may be at stake in the game against Napoli, and if Barcelona are knocked out there is a good chance he could face the sack.“This game represents the entire year,” a visibly angry Li Messi told LaLigaTV after losing to Osasuna last month. “We have been an erratic and weak team.
Arthur, a talented Brazilian midfielder, had been hit-and-miss in his two seasons in Catalonia, but at 23 has plenty of time to improve. Instead, the club have traded him to Juventus for Miralem Pjanic, an excellent playmaker in his own right, but seven years Arthur’s senior. Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig are two youngsters who have really shone despite a collective drop-off in form, and play with a reckless abandon that belies their more jaded companions. Suárez still has that assassin’s touch and Messi is still the best player in the world, having led La Liga with 25 goals and 21 assists this season. Napoli should go into their tie with Barça unafraid of their illustrious opponents, but they would be foolish to discredit them.
Meanwhile, Napoli’s star man Lorenzo Insigne is ‘optimistic’ he will recover from injury in time to face Barcelona today, said the Napoli captain’s agent: “If he feels he’s at 80 per cent, he’ll play.” “Lorenzo was in tears when he thought he might not be able to play against Barcelona, yet some stupid people continue to claim he doesn’t care enough about this club and the city. There’s not much more he can do to prove himself.”With a clear 3-0 win in the first leg at the end of February before the coronavirus break, the German record champions are in an excellent starting position for the game in Munich.
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