Barcelona vs Napoli: Barcelona look to draw first blood in the Europa League when they face Napoli at home in the 1st leg Round of 32 match on Wednesday.
Match Details:Â
Teams: Barcelona vs Napoli
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Date: Thursday 17th February, 2022
Time: 11:15 PM IST
Live Link: http://www.sonyliv.com/
Preview
Barcelona missed out on the Champions League knockouts for the first time since the 2000-01 season as they finished 3rd in Group E.
The Catalan side had a woeful campaign where they managed to pick up just 7 points from 6 matches which included 2 wins and 3 losses.
Also read:Â Top 5 football clubs with most Europa League titles; check out list
Such has been the season for Barcelona which saw the removal of Koeman after Messi’s departure from the club to Xavi’s appointment.
There has been improvement from the hosts since his arrival but they need more time to become a competitive side yet again.
The UEL is a good start for Barcelona to slowly get back on its feet and hopefully get back next season.
On the other hand, Napoli finished runners-up in Group C of their UEL campaign to reach this stage.
Also read:Â UEL news: Most points earned in Europa League all time, check out the list
With 10 points from 6 matches, the Italian side qualified with Spartak from Group C to make sure they continue their positive start in Europe.
The Italian side has enjoyed a good domestic campaign in the Serie A and are placed 3rd with 53 points.
Currently, Napoli is unbeaten in 5 away matches and are on a positive run of results.
Both these sides last met in the UCL 2020 Round of 16 stage, where Barcelona won 3-1 at home with Lenglet, Messi and Suarez finding the net.
Form Guide
Barcelona: DWWLL
Napoli: DWWWL
Barcelona will have to be aware at all times against Napoli on Thursday, but especially in the final phase of the game. 7 of Napoli’s 15 Europa League goals were scored after the 75th minute. [md] pic.twitter.com/seXtGyssgj
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 16, 2022
Last Matches of both teams:
Espanyol 2-2 Barcelona
Napoli 1-1 Inter
Where to watch the live stream and broadcast of Barcelona vs Napoli in India?
The live stream is available on the Sony LIV App, Jio TV; while the broadcast is on Sony TEN 2.
Team News
Roberto, Umtiti, Araujo, Lenglet, Fati, Balde are injured at this point and ruled out of fixture. Depay is a major doubt after he suffered a hamstring injury.
Lozano, Politano and Lobotka are ruled out of contention for Napoli due to shoulder, Calf and muscle issues.
Barcelona possible 11:
Ter Stegan, Alba, Pique, Mingueza, Dest, Gonzalez, de Jong, Pedri, Ezzalzouli, Traoré and Aubameyang
Luuk, who has scored in four of his last five games, is on đŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/j58XkMoFjL
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 14, 2022
Napoli possible 11:
Meret, Rui, Koulibaly, Rrahmani, Do Lorenzo, Anguissa, Ruiz, Zielinski, Elmas, Insigne and Osimhen
Prediction: Barcelona 1-2 Napoli
Barcelona has picked up in recent weeks and shown gradual improvement.
However, Napoli has been on a successful run despite minor blips. Strong performances against Inter and other sides have shown they are a force to reckon with.
We expect the visitors to nick a win at the Camp Nou in this one owing to their better form and quality at this point.
But a closely fought match is on the cards as Barcelona has likes of Aubameyang and Traore looking good.
Players to watch out for: Traoré, Pedri, Osimhen and Elmas.
