Barcelona vs Napoli: 5 Players to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
Barcelona are set to host Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie in Spain.
The Blaugrana have endured a nightmare season both on and off the pitch in 2019/20. A change in management, clashes between players and club officials, and a four-point lead at the top of LaLiga Santander being squandered — the Catalans have seen it all this year.
As tensions flare at the Nou Camp, Barcelona would look to put it all behind them by navigating past a tricky Napoli side. The Italians have seen renaissance under new manager Gattuso after Carlo Ancelotti departed from the club.
Although they finished the season in seventh place, they have turned a corner under the former AC Milan legend as he guided them to the Coppa Italia during this campaign. Dumping one of the pre-tournament favourites Barcelona out of the UCL would be a remarkable achievement for the young manager.
The first leg was a tightly contested 1-1 draw in Naples which saw top-scorer Dries Mertens break the deadlock for the hosts. Antoine Griezmann saved the Catalans' blushes with a 57th-minute equaliser, and Arturo Vidal saw a second yellow in the dying moments of the game.
As they prepare to face each other in the second leg with qualification into the quarter-finals on the line, here, we take a look at five players to keep an eye on.
#5 Kostas Manolas | Barcelona
Kostas Manolas has had a rocky start to life as a Napoli player. The Greece international was touted to form Italy's best defensive line alongside Kalidou Koulibaly, but the team's collective struggles have seen them concede 50 goals in Serie A.
However, he is a threat from set-pieces, as Barcelona found out in the worst manner possible. Manolas' crowning moment as a Roma legend came two years ago when Lionel Messi and co travelled to the Italian capital. Barcelona had a 4-1 lead in the first leg in Spain, but in Rome, the hosts spectacularly turned the tie on its head.
Manolas scored a bullet header in the final few minutes of the tie which sparked the Stadio Olimpico to life and eliminated Barcelona despite their 4-1 lead.
Given the Blaugrana's poor defensive form and Napoli's threats in the box for set-piece situations, Manolas could make the difference once again. It is worth noting that Gattuso is likely to opt for a pragmatic approach, which would mean Napoli will surely try to maximise any such opportunities.
#4 Antoine Griezmann | Barcelona
Much has been made of Antoine Griezmann's displays since his €120m move to the Nou Camp. The Frenchman has struggled in the wide roles that he has been tasked with playing and looks far from the player he was at Atletico. Whether there are stylistic differences or not, he is a Barcelona player and would hope to be utilised in a favourable role — which is precisely what Quique Setien has begun working on.
In recent weeks prior to the end of LaLiga, Setein tinkered with Griezmann's position by giving him a slightly more central role, which suits him much better. Against Napoli, he will be one of the players that Setien will look to for inspiration in the final third, apart from Messi.
Griezmann gave Barcelona a crucial away goal in the reverse fixture after his side beautifully dissected Napoli's low-block. The 29-year-old peeled away from his marker, managed to remain onside and put the ball into an empty net after some superb work by Jordi Alba on the left-hand side.
With Griezmann likely to be deployed in more goalscoring areas of the Napoli half, he could certainly be one of the difference-makers for Barcelona on the night. Should he deliver, it could do him a world of good and endear him to the Blaugrana faithful.
Also read: Top 10 goalscorers in the race for the European Golden Shoe 2019-20