Football News

Napoli vs Barcelona predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable lineups

By Dean Smith

Published: 18:08, 20 February 2024

The final round of 16 first legs in the Champions League take place on Wednesday night, with Napoli looking to put their Serie A troubles to one side as they host Barcelona.

The Italian side relieved former Watford boss Walter Mazzarri of his managerial duties on Tuesday, replacing him with Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona, but the change may come too soon for a new-manager bounce in what looks set to be a tight encounter.

Napoli vs Barcelona team news

Calzona will go into his first game as Napoli boss with a fully fit squad, with star striker Victor Osimhen expected to return to the starting line-up.

The Nigerian was a key part of his country’s squad that lost in the Africa Cup of Nations final to Ivory Coast this month, and missed Napoli’s last game against Genoa as a result.

Defender Juan Jesus is also available after serving a one-game suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.

The news is less positive for Barca manager Xavi, who has a host of injury issues affecting his side going into this fixture.

The likes of Marcos Alonso, Gavi, Ferran Torres, Alejandro Balde and Sergi Roberto are all in the treatment room and will miss out, while there are doubts over whether Joao Felix will feature as he struggles to overcome an ankle problem.

Napoli vs Barcelona predicted line-ups

Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Jesus, Rrahmani, Mazzocchi; Lobotka, Anguissa, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Cancelo; De Jong, Gundogan, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha

READ MORE:

Champions League predictions & tips
Football Accumulator tips
Latest live streaming fixtures