In the second game of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Barcelona will play Napoli. The first game finished in a 1-1 tie, so the final will take place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Tuesday night.
Barcelona will feel great about themselves after beating Mallorca 1-0 this weekend in La Liga. They will have a great chance to win and move on to the next round with the home crowd behind them. But there have already been a lot of accidents at their camp.
4-3-3: How Barcelona is likely to line up against Napoli
Without a question, Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be put between the sticks. On the big night, how he does will be very important. No prizes for guessing who the right back is; Jules Kounde has made that position his own.
Ronald Araujo, a solid defender for Barcelona, will come back to the team to replace Pau Cubarsi. Given how well the kid has played in recent games, it might not be fair to criticize him too much. Even though he had a terrible game on Saturday, Inigo Martinez is still the favorite to team up with him. Joao Cancelo will play on the left-back spot.
In the middle
Not having Gavi, Frenkie De Jong, or Pedri means that Andreas Christensen and Ilkay Gundogan are obvious picks. Fermin Lopez, who is 20 years old, is expected to be called up by Xavi to play in the third spot.
Launch an attack
No matter what, Lamine Yamal is going to start the game. As of late, he’s made a lot of progress, and the management now trusts him. On the other side, Vitor Roque is expected to give the go-ahead to Joao Felix.
Robert Lewandowski, a veteran striker, will be in charge of the attack. The team will be counting on his ability to get them through the Round of 16.
Ferran Torres, Alejandro Balde, and Marcos Alonso are the players who are missing that stand out. Concerns about Raphinha’s health also make her less likely to join.