08/08/2020 - 15:29
- Clarín.com
- sports
Preheating started
Goalkeepers Ter Stegen (Barcelona) and Ospina (Napoli) were the first to go out onto the Camp Nou pitch, 40 minutes before the start of the second leg for the second round of the Champions League. The series is 1-1.
The threat of Napoli
Dries Mertens , author of the Neapolitan goal in the first leg, is one of the top scorers in the current Champions League, with six goals. Will you dial again?
Very different histories
While Barcelona have won their last 12 knockout knockouts, Napoli is looking to get into the quarterfinals for the first time .
Without Busquets or Arturo Vidal
Setién replaced with De Jong and Rakitic two key pieces of the Catalan midfield: the Chilean Vidal had been sent off after 89 minutes of the first leg in San Paolo, while the Spanish was left out due to accumulation of cards. That is precisely what Griezmann, Semedo and Messi must take care of today , who if they are cautioned and qualify will not be able to play in the quarter-finals in Lisbon .
Messi's numbers
In the Champions League, Leo has accumulated 114 goals in 141 games since his debut in 2004 in the top European competition, where he raised four Orejonas (2005/06, 2008/9, 2010/11 and 2014/15). In addition, he has scored 33 of them in his last 28 knockout phase matches at home.
Setién is firm
"It does not occur to me that it is my last game, " said the Barcelona coach in the pre-game and reaffirmed that he is "calm." "We have thoroughly prepared the game thinking that we will continue and that we will be able to face the rest until the final in Portugal with the same enthusiasm and energy that I have now and that we all have," he added.
Napoli 11
Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Fabian, Demme, Zielinski; Alley, Mertens, Insigne .
The 11 of Barcelona
Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, De Jong, Sergi Roberto; Messi , Suárez and Griezmann, Setién's chosen ones for the rematch with Napoli.
Everyone at the Camp Nou
An hour and a half before the start of the game, Napoli arrived at the stadium in the bus that took him from the hotel. The Barcelona players, meanwhile, did it a while before in their private vehicles.
"Grazie"
As part of the UEFA campaign, Napoli also changed their shirt. Unlike Barcelona -which will carry it on the shield-, the thanks of the Italian club will be on the sleeve.
Barcelona is "unbeatable" at the Camp Nou
Barcelona has accumulated 35 games without losing at the Camp Nou in the Champions League , with an average of 31 wins and 4 draws. This streak is the second best in the history of the tournament - which includes the European Cup -, behind Bayern Munich's 43 games between 1969 and 1991.
Bad streak out of Naples
Napoli's previous two away appearances in the Champions League knockout round ended badly, both in the round of 16. In 2012, after winning 3-1 at home, Chelsea prevailed with the same result in London and took the finish to extra time, where Ivanovic converted the final 4-1. Then, in 2017, Real Madrid won 3-1 in the first leg and repeated the score in Italy, closing the series with an overwhelming 6-2.
The unforgiving Barcelona
The Catalan team overcame their last 19 Champions League qualifiers in which they did not lose the first leg. To find that defeat that left him out of the tournament, we have to go back to April 2003, when they drew 1-1 in the first leg with Juventus, which later beat them 2-1 in extra time at the Camp Nou.
"How to climb Everest"
Gennaro Gattuso, the Napoli coach, compared facing Barcelona to climbing Everest in the press conference prior to the Champions League match. "We will try to do it with our game idea," he stressed.
Barcelona's special jersey
In its classic Blaugrana, Barcelona will wear a limited edition jersey in the momentous match with Napoli . On the shield is written a "gràcies" in thanking the essential professionals who took the lead during the new coronavirus pandemic.
There is always a first time
This will be the first visit of Napoli, Diego Maradona's flagship team, to the Camp Nou for official continental tournaments. You have to travel to 2009 to find a rookie who wins at the home of Barcelona. It was Rubin Kazan, who surprised locals and strangers by winning 2-1 on the road.
What's next
The winner will be measured in the quarterfinals against the winner of the cross between Bayern Munich and Chelsea, who will also meet this Saturday, in Germany, at the same time. In the first leg, the Bavarian team won 3-0.
The way, there far and long ago
The match, a rematch of the one played last February 25 in Italy that ended 1 to 1, before the break forced by the coronavirus pandemic, will take place this Saturday from 4 p.m. (Argentina time) at the Camp Nou, with the arbitration of the Turkish Cuneyt Cakir and televising of the ESPN 2 signal.
The previous
Barcelona, with Lionel Messi as the standard, will try to beat Napoli of Italy this Saturday at home, in the revenge match of the knockout stages of the Champions League, the maximum goal that remains for the Catalan club in an opaque season in which it has not He won the Spanish League or the Copa del Rey.
