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Barcelona's Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong is ready to face Napoli in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
Speaking to Barca TV, De Jong said that he had fully recovered from his injury that kept him to limited action since the restart of La Liga after the COVID-19 lockdown.
With Barcelona locked 1-1 against Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli after the first leg, they have it all to do at the Camp Nou. De Jong, however, said that they would be ready, and set his sights on helping Barcelona become European Champions again.
The Dutch midfielder, who only had a few minutes of action against Osasuna and Alaves in Barcelona's last two league games of the season said that he'd put his injury worries behind him, saying,
"I did not feel well then because I was coming back from injury but these weeks have served to prepare me and I am ready to play against Naples."
Barcelona's De Jong sets his sights on European glory
Speaking to Barca TV, De Jong repeated multiple times that Barcelona are just four games away from being the Champions League winners, but also had a word of caution for his teammates. The Dutchman said;
"This new format is special but also gives advantage to smaller teams because a game is easier to surprise the big ones."
De Jong said he was hurting from not being able to help Barcelona conquer La Liga, but said that he wants to win his first title as a Barcelona player and that there's no better way to do it than winning the Champions League. He continued,
"I am always motivated but the Champions League is a special competition."
Recalling the first leg between Barcelona and Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples, De Jong said,
“They are very disciplined, with high quality players. 1-1 is not a bad result but we will have to play better at home."
The Dutchman also played down any supposed advantage that Barcelona could have gained by having a longer break than Napoli, whose Serie A season ended just last weekend.
“It is true that we have had more time but they arrive ready in terms of match practice. It depends on how you look".
De Jong also said that even though Barcelona would feel the absence of the suspended Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal, he was confident that the squad was fully ready, and primed with enough quality to ensure they are not missed on the pitch.
Should they get past Napoli, Barcelona will face either Bayern Munich or Chelsea in the quarterfinal in Lisbon.
