Barcelona to have their hands full against a rejuvenated Napoli team
Barcelona’s match against Napoli marks the first time these two sides meet in an official match.
The narrative surrounding Barcelona and Serie A side Napoli has changed since these two teams were drawn together for the Champions League knockout stage. Since then, Napoli fired Carlo Ancelotti while Barcelona sacked Ernesto Valverde.
They were replaced by Gennaro Gattuso and Quique Setién, respectively.
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Despite getting off on a rocky sport, Napoli head into the match transformed. They’ve won four out of their last five games including a vital one against Juventus.
While the results are coming for Barcelona, the style of play still leaves much to be desired.
Defensively, the Catalans look as vulnerable as they did under Ernesto Valverde. It doesn’t seem to take much for opponents to create goal scoring opportunities against them.
According to Sport, Quique Setién is considering lining up with a 4-4-2 in an effort to provide cover for the backline.
The plan may be to deploy Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong as the base of midfield with Arthur Melo and Arturo Vidal further wide.
In attack, the La Liga leaders still have the privilege of relying on Lionel Messi and if the manager does go with four in midfield, then it will be Antoine Griezmann partnering the Argentine.
This will be the first time these two sides meet in an official competition although they did play two games in the United States during preseason with Barcelona winning both times.
In contrast to the games in the summer, Barcelona will be without the likes of Luis Suarez, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembélé. On the other side, Napoli will be without Kalidou Koulibaly and Fernando Llorente.
Next. Barca lose another starter for at least three weeks due to injury. dark
The Blaugrana’s struggles on the road have been well documented. Napoli are on a good run of form and are going to want to pounce on a team who still look bereft of confidence. While Barça may be favorites, it is no longer as lopsided as it first appeared.