Italian champions Napoli will face Spanish champions Barcelona in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Here are all the important details about the first leg of this week’s match.
Napoli, a strong team from Italy, will host Barcelona, a renowned team from Spain, at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match. The game will start at 9:00 PM CEST / 8:00 PM GMT / 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT on Wednesday night (February 21).
Fans in the United States can watch the game on CBS and TUDN Deportes. The game can also be streamed on Fubo, but viewers will need to sign up for a free trial or pay for a membership. In Canada, DAZN will broadcast the game.
After a successful 2022-23 season where they won the league title after 33 years, Napoli has struggled this season. They have conceded many goals, struggled to score consistently, and have rarely controlled the midfield.
With only 36 points from 24 games (10 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses), Napoli is currently in ninth place in the Serie A standings. They have dropped points in three of their last four matches (2 draws, 1 loss) and are coming into Wednesday’s game after a 1-1 draw with Genoa.
Barcelona has also not performed up to their usual standards this season. They have been unable to play with their trademark style and have sometimes been lucky to win. Xavi, the coach of Barcelona and a former player, has decided to step down at the end of his tenure due to the team losing its identity.
Barcelona has accumulated 54 points from 25 matches and is currently eight points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid. However, they are on a four-game unbeaten streak in La Liga, with their last match resulting in a 2-1 comeback win over Celta Vigo.
Napoli and Barcelona have faced each other four times in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona has won twice and the two teams have played to a draw in the other two matches.
Neither Napoli nor Barcelona have met expectations this season, but Napoli has been in worse form. They may put up a fight in front of their home fans at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but we do not expect them to overpower the visitors.
Our prediction is that Barcelona will come away with a 2-1 lead from their trip to Napoli on Wednesday.
According to the Source sportslens.com