Barcelona/Napoli UEFA Match Looms

There will be a clash of European titans tonight, Wednesday 21 February, as Barcelona and Napoli go head-to-head in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Italian side will host their Spanish counterparts at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples. The Blues will need all the luck they can get as, even at the best of times, the club have never won a game against Barça.

Alas, it is not the best of times for Napoli, who just bid farewell to manager Walter Mazzarri yesterday, after just three months in charge. The club have already lined up Slovakia boss, Francesco Calzona, as his replacement.

While Napoli have not given a specific reason for letting Mazzarri go, it seems their 1-1 draw with Genoa just three days prior was the last straw.

However, the visitors shouldn’t expect to have a completely painless match. Barcelona will need to make do without several of their key players, including Gavi, Ferran Torres, Marcos Alonso, and Sergi Roberto, as they are all still injured.

At the moment, pundits slightly favour Barcelona to win the game, but if the hosts can rally themselves and defy expectations, their fans could be in for a treat.

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