How will Barcelona line up against Napoli in the Champions League?
The biggest game of Barcelona’s 2023-24 season so far takes place on Wednesday night in Italy as the Catalans take on Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples.
Barça won a crucial game away to Celta Vigo at the weekend to give them a much-needed confidence boost, and now they hope to get another strong result on the road and have an advantage ahead of the second leg in Catalonia in three weeks.
They will face a Napoli side in absolute chaos and with their third manager of the season coaching his first game against the Blaugrana, but the reigning Italian champions have a ton of talent and will no doubt look at this game as a chance to turn their season around in front of their passionate home crowd.
Here’s how we think Xavi Hernández will line up his troops for Wednesday’s battle.
Defense
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Barça will no doubt approach the first leg with a cautious strategy looking for a positive result to take back home without exposing themselves against a Napoli team very low on confidence. Xavi and his team must be smart and navigate the tension and the occasion, especially in the early minutes, and the boss will probably select a team filled with experience and quite a few defensive-minded players.
The back four will have Jules Kounde at right-back and João Cancelo at left-back, and Ronald Araujo is expected to start after surviving a injury scare that forced him to be replaced at halftime at the weekend. The final spot in the back four will likely go to Iñigo Martínez, with Xavi expected to opt for the Basque defender’s experience over the youth of Pau Cubarsí.
Midfield
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Ilkay Gündogan was given a rare rest at the weekend and didn’t start for the first time in quite a while, but the German is guaranteed to return to the lineup for this one in a more advanced number 10 role ahead of a probable double pivot of Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong.
That would leave a spot open of the left wing that will likely go to Pedri, with Xavi probably going back to the four-midfielder system which he tends to use in big games.
Attack
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The four-midfielder system likely leaves only two spots up front, with Robert Lewandowski leading the line after his game-winning performance against Celta. Lamine Yamal was the other star of the show at the weekend, and the teenager has quickly become perhaps the most important piece of the team and will no doubt start on Wednesday.
Without the injured Ferran Torres and with João Félix possibly being named in the squad but not fit enough to make a real impact just yet, Raphinha and Vitor Roque will be the available attacking options off the bench but one of them could be in the starting lineup if Xavi surprises us all with a more attacking, three-forward setup.
Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Iñigo, Cancelo; Christensen, De Jong; Yamal, Gündogan, Pedri; Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Napoli? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
