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Barcelona are set to host Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie in Spain.
The Blaugrana have endured a nightmare season both on and off the pitch in 2019/20. A change in management, clashes between players and club officials, and a four-point lead at the top of LaLiga Santander being squandered — the Catalans have seen it all this year.
As tensions flare at the Nou Camp, Barcelona would look to put it all behind them by navigating past a tricky Napoli side. The Italians have seen renaissance under new manager Gattuso after Carlo Ancelotti departed from the club.
Although they finished the season in seventh place, they have turned a corner under the former AC Milan legend as he guided them to the Coppa Italia during this campaign. Dumping one of the pre-tournament favourites Barcelona out of the UCL would be a remarkable achievement for the young manager.
The first leg was a tightly contested 1-1 draw in Naples which saw top-scorer Dries Mertens break the deadlock for the hosts. Antoine Griezmann saved the Catalans' blushes with a 57th-minute equaliser, and Arturo Vidal saw a second yellow in the dying moments of the game.
As they prepare to face each other in the second leg with qualification into the quarter-finals on the line, here, we take a look at five players to keep an eye on.
#5 Kostas Manolas | Barcelona
Kostas Manolas has had a rocky start to life as a Napoli player. The Greece international was touted to form Italy's best defensive line alongside Kalidou Koulibaly, but the team's collective struggles have seen them concede 50 goals in Serie A.
However, he is a threat from set-pieces, as Barcelona found out in the worst manner possible. Manolas' crowning moment as a Roma legend came two years ago when Lionel Messi and co travelled to the Italian capital. Barcelona had a 4-1 lead in the first leg in Spain, but in Rome, the hosts spectacularly turned the tie on its head.
Manolas scored a bullet header in the final few minutes of the tie which sparked the Stadio Olimpico to life and eliminated Barcelona despite their 4-1 lead.
Given the Blaugrana's poor defensive form and Napoli's threats in the box for set-piece situations, Manolas could make the difference once again. It is worth noting that Gattuso is likely to opt for a pragmatic approach, which would mean Napoli will surely try to maximise any such opportunities.
#4 Antoine Griezmann | Barcelona
Much has been made of Antoine Griezmann's displays since his €120m move to the Nou Camp. The Frenchman has struggled in the wide roles that he has been tasked with playing and looks far from the player he was at Atletico. Whether there are stylistic differences or not, he is a Barcelona player and would hope to be utilised in a favourable role — which is precisely what Quique Setien has begun working on.
In recent weeks prior to the end of LaLiga, Setein tinkered with Griezmann's position by giving him a slightly more central role, which suits him much better. Against Napoli, he will be one of the players that Setien will look to for inspiration in the final third, apart from Messi.
Griezmann gave Barcelona a crucial away goal in the reverse fixture after his side beautifully dissected Napoli's low-block. The 29-year-old peeled away from his marker, managed to remain onside and put the ball into an empty net after some superb work by Jordi Alba on the left-hand side.
With Griezmann likely to be deployed in more goalscoring areas of the Napoli half, he could certainly be one of the difference-makers for Barcelona on the night. Should he deliver, it could do him a world of good and endear him to the Blaugrana faithful.
Also read: Top 10 goalscorers in the race for the European Golden Shoe 2019-20
#3 Fabian Ruiz | Napoli
A well-renowned target for both of Spain's footballing institutions Real Madrid and Barcelona, Fabian Ruiz has thoroughly impressed during his time in Italy. The former Real Betis midfielder moved to Naples for €30m ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and, mainly in the wake of Jorginho's departure, the Spaniard has taken centre stage.
The metronomic figure at the heart of Napoli's midfield, Ruiz is the controller of Gattuso's midfield and has started 30 of their 38 Serie A games this year. Ruiz was a vital member of the squad that held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in Italy, making four interceptions, second-most passes for Napoli and overseeing proceedings in the middle.
The 24-year-old has been Napoli's lynchpin in midfield, averaging 70 passes and 1.5 key passes per game in Serie A, as well as managing 1.3 tackles on the defensive end. With Real Madrid set for a revamp in midfield, Ruiz has been tipped as a target for them to consider, and was heavily linked with Barcelona as well.
If he keeps performing as well as he is now for a more extended period, it'll only be a matter of time before one of the Spanish giants come calling for him.
#2 Dries Mertens | Napoli
Napoli's all-time top scorer has had an incredible European campaign so far, which is in stark contrast to his domestic endeavours. The Belgian managed just nine goals in 31 Serie A games in 2019/20, but has been pivotal to their journey up until this point in the UCL.
Dries Mertens has started six out of Napoli's seven Champions League games and has scored in all but two of them. With six goals and an assist, he is only behind Robert Lewandowski in the UCL top-scorers list of players still active in the competition. Serge Gnabry also has six, but has one assist lesser than Mertens.
The 33-year-old gave Napoli the all-important goal to kick off the scoring in this high-profile tie. Piotr Zielinski nicked the ball high up in Barcelona's half and squared it to Mertens. The Belgian took a touch to settle himself and rifled the ball into the top-right corner past a helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen and broke the deadlock after soaking up pressure from the visitors.
With just one goal for either side enough to go through to the next round, Napoli will have their hopes pinned on their talismanic Belgian, who could provide the moment of magic like he did in Naples. Barcelona will have to be particularly wary of the threat carried by Mertens.
#1 Lionel Messi | Barcelona
Given his mercurial ability with the ball at his feet, it will hardly ever be surprising to see Lionel Messi make headlines all over the world. Although having done so this year as well, it has not primarily been regarding his achievements on the pitch.
Messi, much like Barcelona, has had a frustrating 2019/20 campaign. The Blaugrana's prolific captain entered a war of words following Ernesto Valverde's sacking with Eric Abidal. More recently, he got into a spat with Setien's charismatic assistant Eder Sarabia, and went on a rant on the final day on the season after an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to 10-man Osasuna. He said;
"We have been an erratic and weak team, who can be beaten with enough intensity and enthusiasm. We have lost a lot of points which we shouldn't have done and been very inconsistent."
This frustration dates back to two years ago, when Manolas and Roma overturned Barcelona's 4-1 lead. In almost identical fashion, they were knocked out again the following year after surrendering a three-goal lead to eventual champions Liverpool. A third consecutive exit without UCL success could have devastating implications for Barcelona, whose leader and greatest ever player has already turned 33.
No one would hope to turn up in as grand a fashion and guide his team through to the next stage more than Lionel Messi. The Argentine would have to play to the best of his abilities to aid his side's cause. If/when that does happen, Gattuso's men could be in trouble.
It is also worth noting that he would hope to improve his personal record in the competition as well, scoring just two goals and assisting three in six appearances.
Also read: 5 Highest scorers remaining in the UEFA Champions League 2019-20
