Fallen Giants: Barcelona and Napoli Battle for Champions League Survival

Barcelona vs Napoli

The reigning Italian and Spanish champions will go head-to-head for the second leg of their last-16 bout in the Champions League.

Barcelona are in the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in three years, and they’re in a good position to advance to the quarterfinals as they host an upset Napoli. This will be Xavi’s last hurrah with Barcelona, and the outfit was clear that they will make it count.

Xavi’s defence has been impenetrable in the past few weeks, and they’ll lean on this dominance as they try to stop the brilliance of Victor Osimhen and the rest of Napoli.

A frustrated Napoli will march to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys after being held to a 1-1 home draw by Cagliari in Serie A. Gli Azzurri have yet to find their defencive identity since Francesco Calzona replaced Walter Mazzarri as the man at the helm. They’ve gone without a clean sheet since January, and they desperately need one against Barcelona if they’d like to keep their Champions League dreams alive.

Talking Points

Xavi’s defence shows its chest

In the wake of a roller coaster ride thus far, the Catalans have been able to put up one of their best defencive stretches in the past few weeks.

The Catalans have managed to log three clean sheets in a row coming into their Champions League clash against Napoli in the middle of the week, and the hopefuls in attendance at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys expect more of the same from their beloved Culers.

The main catalyst for their brilliant defencive showing as of late is the man between the sticks, Marc-André ter Stegen. The 32-year-old proudly reached 400 games as Barcelona’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Ter Stegen has now become a household name in Barcelona, defending the culé goal for a decade and cementing his legacy in Barça lore. The German stud becomes just the third goalkeeper to make 400 appearances for the illustrious Barcelona, joining the likes of Víctor Valdés (535 in total) and Andoni Zubizarreta (410).

Their last bastion of defence, Ter Stegen, claimed three clean sheets in a row, which has kept Barcelona’s La Liga title run alive. Barca fans couldn’t be more delighted with how impenetrable Xavi’s defence has been, but they can only wait and see if their first third can produce strong Champions League 2024 results against Napoli in what will be a pivotal game for both outfits.

Frustrated Napoli

Napoli, on the other hand, are struggling to keep opponents from scoring on their goal. The reigning Italian champions are having a pedestrian season by their standards, and their struggles defensively might be the culprit.

The newly appointed head coach, Francesco Calzona, has yet to produce a clean sheet as the man at the helm in Napoli, and they badly need one during their match against Barcelona if they’d want to keep their Champions League aspirations alive.

Gli Azzurri were in prime position to end their clean sheet drought against Torino during their matchday 28 clash in Serie A, but to their frustrations, Torino’s Antonio Sanabria was able to score the levelling goal that forced Napoli to settle for a 1-1 draw.

On the offencive side of the pitch, Calzona and the rest of Napoli will once again rely on the brilliance of Victor Osimhen. The 25-year-old striker singlehandedly kept Napoli competitive during the first leg of their Champions League bout against Barcelona.

The Catalans deservingly led the match thanks to the offencive prowess of Robert Lewandowski, but Nigerian forward Osimhen accurately rolled home the leveller with 15 minutes left of the first leg of their last-16 tie.

History

These historic outfits have faced each other nine times since 2011, and in those matches, Barcelona have bossed Napoli by winning five, while the Italian side have only one win to their name but were able to draw three times.

They were well-matched during the first leg of their last-16 clash, ending the game with a 1-1 score line thanks to goals from Lewandowsky and Osimhen.

In recent form, Napoli are currently riding a six-game unbeaten streak but have failed to keep enemy goals from reaching the back of the net since their 0-0 draw against Lazio in the last week of January.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are keeping the La Liga title race competitive, staying unbeaten in their last seven La Liga matches and winning five of those seven matches to boot. Their defence has been their calling card for the past three games, and they look to do more of the same during their upcoming match against Napoli.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Champions League 2024 betting odds have the Spanish side Barcelona as the favourites at 1.88 given their recent form and revitalized defence, while the visiting Napoli are the underdogs at 3.64 with a draw price of 3.39.

The Catalans were disappointed with the 1-1 results at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, but they have a good opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals thanks to their recent form and home advantage.

Another line to consider is their total goals under 2.75 at 1.88. It was evident during their first leg that these outfits are well-matched, and it’s hard to imagine a high aggregate from these clubs, especially with how good Barcelona’s first third has been in the past few games.

 

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