Clash of champions in last sixteen
FC Barcelona have been drawn against Napoli in the Champions League last sixteen. Managed by Walter Mazzarri, after Rudi Garcia was dismissed just over a month ago, the defending Serie A champions are currently fifth in the Italian league.
One meeting in Champions League
This is just the second time that Barça have played Napoli in the Champions League, although the only precedent was relatively recent, in 2019/20. That was also in the last sixteen, in that strange season affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. After Barça had drawn the first leg 1-1 in Naples on February 25, it would not be until August, six months later, that the second leg was finally played in front of an empty Camp Nou, with Barça winning 3-1 to seal passage to that unusual final series in Portugal.
Most recent meeting in Europa League
But Barça and Napoli have met more recently than that. It was in the Europa League of 2021/22 after Barça had been relegated to the second-tier European competition due to failing to progress from the Champions League group stage. Barça were held to an unimpressive draw at Camp Nou, but it was a very different story at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium for the return leg, where Barça powered their way to a 4-2 victory.
Napoli: The story so far
Napoli finished second in Group C, with Real Madrid claiming top spot. They lost both games against the Spanish side, but got three wins and a draw out of their games with Braga and Union Berlin, and had already secured qualification before playing their final match.
Reconstruction time
After winning the league for the first time since the Diego Maradona era back in the 1980s, this new season got off to a difficult start for the Neapolitans. Luciano Spalletti stood down as coach to take charge of the Italian national side, and his French replacement Rudi Garcia only lasted a few months in the post. Walter Mazzarri was recruited as the new coach, and the results do seem to have improved since he took the reins of the team.
Two of the standout players in the Napoli squad are Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Both the Nigerian and Georgian strikers seemed to suffer a lull in form early in the campaign, but under the new coach they are once again flourishing and are sure to give the Barça defence plenty to think about when they meet in early 2024.