After moving on from Walter Mazzarri to bring in former Slovakian national team head coach Francesco Calzona, Napoli will now host a critical Champions League tie against Barcelona on Wednesday in the round of 16 first leg. Both teams are heading in the wrong direction after winning their respective leagues last season. Barcelona will have a new coach next season due to Xavi stepping down following this summer and Napoli may not even end the season in a European place which is why this tie is so important.
Champions League is the only way for both teams to salvage their seasons as while neither are likely to win the tournament, a deep run can show optimism for next season, especially in Barcelona, where they’ll likely qualify for Champions League next season via league play.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21| Time: 3 pm.m ET
- Location: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona — Napoli, Italy
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Napoli +190; Draw +240; Barcelona +135
Storylines
Napoli: Needing a new manager bounce sooner than ever, it may be a good chance for Cyril Ngonge to get his first start in a Napoli shirt after scoring his first goal over the weekend. Joining from Hellas Verona during the January transfer window, Ngonge can help push Napoli forward by giving Khvicha Kvaratskhelia more space to operate.
Barcelona: Xavi said the quiet part out loud in his pre-match press conference when speaking about facing a newly appointed coach.
“Napoli changed their coach in a surprising way, they have their reasons, but it’s not an easy match to prepare for, as we don’t know what to expect,” Xavi said.
Xavi continued to say this is why Barcelona will need to focus on their style of play but if Napoli can come out of the gates quickly, Barcelona may be caught out.
Prediction
Two underperforming teams won’t be separated as the result is shared in Italy, setting up a testy second leg in Barcelona. Pick: Napoli 0, Barcelona 0
