Napoli vs Barcelona LIVE: Champions League team news confirmed, Lionel Messi decision

NAPOLI vs BARCELONA

Barcelona are currently top of La Liga after four straight league wins, including Saturday’s 5-0 thrashing of Eibar in which Lionel Messi scored four goals.

But since lifting the Champions League crown in 2015, the Catalan club have lost in three quarter-finals and last season’s semi-final, to Liverpool.

Napoli appear to have halted a poor run of form under boss Gennaro Gattuso, winning four of their last five Serie A matches.

They have slipped to sixth in the table, but beat Liverpool at home earlier in the season and drew 1-1 at Anfield before finishing second behind the Merseysiders in Group E.

  • Both managers, Gattuso and Quique Setien, will be taking charge of their first Champions League game
  • Napoli have reached the Champions League knockout stage for the third time in six appearances. They have never made it past the last 16
  • Dries Mertens has been directly involved in 50 percent of Napoli’s goals in the Champions League since 2016/17
  • Lionel Messi’s total of two goals in five games in this season’s Champions League group phase was his lowest for 10 years

Source: Read Full Article