Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga standings after winning against Eibar 5-0 but will face a comparatively harder task against Napoli tonight. The Catalans have travelled to Italy to face Napoli, who were one of six teams to be undefeated in the group stages of the Champions League this season.
This is the first time that the two sides will be meeting in the Champions League. Both sides are in good form coming into this game, with Barca winning 7 of their last 9 games in all competitions, while Napoli also have the same record over the last 9 games.
Let’s take a look at the possible Barcelona lineup for this game against Napoli.
Team News
Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez are long-term absentees, and will not feature in this game, while experienced left-back Jordi Alba will also miss this game.
Sergi Roberto is the latest player to suffer an injury, and he too will miss this game. Recent signing Martin Braithwaite is not eligible to play in the Champions League and will also not be a part of the team.
Marc-André ter Stegen will continue in goal for Barca.
Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet should continue at the heart of the defence in the Barcelona lineup against Napoli. Samuel Umtiti is an option if Setien opts for a change.
The injury to Alba means that Junior Firpo will continue at left-back, while Nelson Semedo should retain his place on the opposite side at right-back.
It will be interesting to see what set-up manager Quique Setien will choose for this crucial Champions League tie. Will he play a diamond formation to allow Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi to play as the two strikers, or retain his current three-man midfield?
If he plays a three-man midfield formation, Frenkie de Jong – who was a second-half substitute over the weekend – should return to the Barcelona lineup. Sergio Busquets should retain his place as the defensive midfielder, while Arthur – who scored once against Eibar – should play as the third midfielder.
Lionel Messi, fresh from scoring four goals, should start on the right, with Antoine Griezmann playing through the middle. Ansu Fati could get a start on the left side of attack in the Barcelona lineup.
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