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Barcelona will host Napoli to the Camp Nou in the decisive second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie, 166 days after the first leg at the San Paolo Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw.
Antoine Griezmann scored the crucial away goal for The Catalans, while it was Dries Mertens who scored for I Partenopei. It was an evenly contested match in which a well-drilled Napoli made the visitors fight hard to earn a draw.
A loss in the fixture will condemn Barcelona to its first trophy-less season since 2007-08.
Camp Nou has been a fortress for Barcelona in the Champions League as they have gone 35 games unbeaten at the iconic venue. It will be Napoli's first appearance at the stadium in official competitions.
On Saturday night, Gennaro Gattuso's men will have to be at their attacking best if they desire a positive outcome from the fixture, as all Barcelona need is a goalless draw to see themselves through to the last eight.
So with the stage all set for this showdown between the two sides, here, we take a look at five key battles that could decide the outcome of the game.
#5 Luis Suarez vs Kalidou Koulibaly
Luis Suarez was absent from the squad when Barcelona travelled to Naples in February on account of a knee injury and his absence was clearly felt in the final third as they lacked accuracy in front of the goal, managing only two shots on target. He has since recovered from the injury and got back to scoring ways in the La Liga.
For Napoli, Kalidou Koulibaly was on the sidelines due to a hamstring issue and his physical presence and tough tackling was sorely missed in the backline.
With both key players back in the squad, we will finally get to see the duel between one of the top strikers in the world against one of the finest central defenders.
Both players bring a lot of experience against top opponents, thus it will be an interesting battle and might prove to be one of the most crucial duels on the pitch on Saturday night.
#4 Jordi Alba vs José Callejón
José Callejón has been a loyal servant for Napoli and has operated quietly in the shadows of Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne in attack for the Italian club.
He is one of the most underrated players in the squad and will be key in creating chances from the right flank. He will also have to put in a defensive shift because he will face Jordi Alba for Barcelona, one of the world's best left-backs on Saturday.
Callejón and Alba are old foes who used to face each other regularly during the former's stint at Real Madrid. Both have since matured as footballers and will be looking ahead to this reunion.
#3 Frenkie De Jong vs Fabian Ruiz
Fabian Ruiz has been one of the most consistent performers for Napoli in what has been a turbulent season for them and, though he did not touch the heights of the 2018-19 season, he has certainly improved certain aspects of his game this year.
He does not get on the scoresheet himself that often but has a good eye for threading key passes, finding spaces and dictating the play for his team.
He usually assumes a No.10 role behind Napoli's three-man attack and thus will often find himself in a duel with Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.
With Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal suspended for the game, the hosts will rely heavily on the talented midfielder for breaking up opposition play and for his impressive distribution skills to find Messi, Suarez or Griezmann in dangerous positions.
Both these players are pass-masters, with Ruiz having a 90% pass success across all competitions and De Jong completing 91.6% of his passes. They are rarely booked and rely on their technical skills to outwit their opponents.
#2 Nelson Semedo vs Lorenzo Insigne
Attacking down the wing has been one of the strengths of Napoli this season. Well, for the last few seasons, thanks to the consistency of Callejon and his partner on the left-wing, Lorenzo Insigne, they have been very effective attacking from the wide positions.
Insigne was crucial to Napoli's success at the Coppa Italia and will be hoping to provide the same kind of service to his club in the Champions League.
He will face Nelson Semedo on the wings, who has shown an improvement in his game and mentality since the La Liga restart in June. On his day, the Portuguese right-back can wreak havoc on the right flank with his blistering pace and crossing abilities.
He has struggled with consistency in his time at the Camp Nou and that can prove costly against a player like Insigne, who likes to cut inside from the left and can beat defenders with his pace, skills and ball-control.
#1 Gerard Pique vs Dries Mertens
Gerard Pique and Dries Mertens have both achieved iconic status at their respective clubs. Pique has established himself as one of the most successful defenders in Barcelona's history, while Mertens became the all-time top scorer for Napoli this season.
The Belgian forward scored the opening goal in the previous meeting between the two clubs and could've easily added to his tally if not for an unfortunate injury in the second half. Thus Pique will have to be on high alert in the upcoming fixture as Mertens will be looking for another goal to add to his impressive tally.
While Pique does have an advantage over the Napoli forward when it comes to aerial duels, Mertens is very agile for a striker and with his low centre of gravity, pace and good close control can easily get past the Pique, who has seen a significant loss in pace over the last few seasons.
Also See:
Barcelona vs Napoli prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Champions League 2019-2020
