Napoli vs Barcelona: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News

Lionel Messi and co return to the Champions League this Tuesday as Barcelona face Gennaro Gattuso’s Napoli. 

?Barcelona will be aiming to make their 13th ?Champions League quarter-final in a row, with their last loss at this stage occurring in 2008 to Liverpool. This run is the longest run in the history of the tournament.

Another match will be a welcome relief for Barcelona, who last week became ??embroiled in scandal as reports suggested that the club had hired a social media company to disseminate negative messages about key figures at the club.

?Napoli, on the other hand, have been revitalised by Gattuso after starting the season so poorly under Carlo Ancelotti. They will be aiming to make the quarter-finals of this competition for the first time in their history.

Where to Watch

Team News

?Napoli will be sweating on the fitness of commanding centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who missed this weekend’s fixture against Brescia. The Senegalese is currently suffering from a hamstring issue that occurred against Parma last month.

Kevin Malcuit remains a long-term injury concern with cruciate ligament damage but Fernando Llorente is expected to recover from flu for the game. 

Barcelona will be without ?Luis Suarez, ?Ousmane Dembele and Jordi Alba for this tie. All three are suffering from serious injuries and will not be available for selection. New signing Martin Braithwaite is not eligible to play.

Predicted Lineups

Head-to-Head Record

Surprisingly, this will be the first competitive encounter between Napoli and Barcelona. 

Napoli were eliminated by ?Real Madrid on their previous ventures into the ?Champions League knockout stage.

?Barcelona’s recent away trips to Italy haven’t been very fruitful – they haven’t ?won a match in the Champions League knockout stages there in their past five matches. Their most recent win was against ?Milan in 2006 – a game in which Gattuso was playing.

Recent Form

?Napoli have been in excellent form – winning six of their previous seven matches. This run has included wins against Juventus and Inter.

Gattuso’s side have showcased a more efficient method of football and while it isn’t the most attractive football, it has been effective.   

For Barça, Messi ended his relative goal drought by scoring four goals in their 5-0 win against Eibar.

Prior to that, Barcelona hadn’t been firing on all cylinders. While they have been managing results, it hasn’t been in the most convincing of manners.

A loss to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey is a signifier of the lack of progression that has occurred under the new management. 

With the Champions League returning this Tuesday and El Clasico next weekend, the pressure is on for Setien to deliver results.

Here’s how both sides have fared in their last five matches.

Prediction

?Even with the upturn in form that the Neapolitans have been showcasing under Gennaro Gattuso, Barcelona pose a much greater challenge.

However, this ?Barcelona side isn’t anywhere near the quality of previous sides and have a huge reliance on the continual brilliance of ?Messi.

In what should be a terrific atmosphere, expect a very competitive game and chances to be flowing for either side.

Prediction: Napoli 1-1 Barcelona

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