Quique Setien bullish ahead of Napoli clash; says thought of second-leg being his last game as Barcelona coach 'never crossed my mind' | UEFA Champions League 2019/20
Barcelona coach Quique Setien said that it hasn't even crossed his mind that the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg against Napoli could be his last game in charge of the club.
Barcelona need a 0-0 draw or a win at the Camp Nou to qualify for the quarterfinal and knock Gennaro Gattuso's side out of the competition. Setien said he expected Napoli to give Barcelona a difficult game.
"They have improved in many aspects since we faced them, they continue to progress. They have a lot of possession under Gattuso but also know how to defend well, and how to attack and create problems," he said.
Setien also said that Barcelona have been preparing for the tournament as if they would progress through the round. On Napoli in particular, the Blaugrana coach said:
"We have studied them a lot and are looking to minimize their potential. It is a team that can hurt us with the ball, good combinations, improved possession, very disciplined defending."
Too early for Ousmane Dembele to return to Barcelona squad: Setien
Speaking about the availability of players for the second leg, Setien said that the game was a tad too early for French winger Ousmane Dembele to return to the Barcelona squad.
Dembele has been out of action for most of 2020, with an injury that required surgery, but has been back in training. However, he's not trained enough with the rest of the squad yet, according to Setien. This means that it was a risk to include him in the matchday squad.
Setien also confirmed that youngsters Riqui Puig and Ansu Fati are fit to feature against Napoli, and that is a boost for the under-fire Barcelona boss. With Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets suspended, and Arthur unavailable, Puig is likely to start in midfield, alongside Frenkie de Jong and Ivan Rakitic.
The Barcelona boss also said that he hadn't spoken to Arthur since the end of the LaLiga season some three weeks ago.
"I spoke to him before he left, the truth is I haven’t spoken to him since, all I know is what the club tells me, I hope things would be different but at the moment I can’t say anything else," Setien said.
Barcelona will face the winner of the tie between Bayern Munich and Chelsea if they get past Napoli.