Barcelona 4-0 Napoli: 4 talking points
Barcelona clashed with Napoli for the second time in a matter of days, to decide the winner of the inaugural Serie A-LaLiga Cup at the Michigan Stadium – a.k.a. "The Big House" – in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
With the first fixture against the Partenopei having ended in a 2-1 victory for the Blaugrana, Barcelona wrapped up their pre-season campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory in the second fixture to add the exhibition trophy to their bulging trophy cabinet.
The victory comes with less than a week left to kick off their Spanish title defense. And while the first match was much more balanced, Barcelona proved to be too strong for Napoli at the second time of asking.
In this piece, we look at four talking points from the match.
#1 Lionel Messi facing race against time to be fit for season opener
Having been given an extended leave of absence due to his participation in the Copa America over the summer, Lionel Messi was expected to resume training with the squad alongside his fellow South American contingent at the start of August.
However, in scenes that would have caused more than a few panics among Barcelona fans, their skipper pulled up with an injury on his first day of training, which forced him to miss the tour to the United States.
A statement by Barcelona revealed that Messi is training alone in a bid to recover from a grade 1 calf injury sustained on his right leg.
Barcelona might have largely coped well in their talisman’s absence throughout pre-season, but Messi’s status as a genuine difference-maker means that his side would need his services once the season proper gets underway.
With just six days left till the proposed date for his side’s LaLiga opener against Athletic Bilbao, Ernesto Valverde would be hoping to have his most important player back in the side.