Official: Barcelona starting lineup against Napoli | UCL round of 16 1st leg
Barcelona have made the trip to the legendary Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Southern Italy to take on Napoli in the 2023/24 Champions League round of 16 first leg.
The Catalans missed out on the UCL knockouts for two seasons in a row, and will be hoping to make the most of their chances this time around, with it looking like the only competition in their reach right now.
Xavi has opted to start Lamine Yamal on the right-wing for this high-intensity clash, which is the Spaniard’s eighth start in a row for the Catalans. Robert Lewandowski joins him as the only other ‘forward’ in this game, playing as a striker.
Pedri starts on the left-wing, but will be given the license to move inside and form an attacking midfield duo with Ilkay Gundogan, who starts in the centre of the park.
Frenkie de Jong will be playing behind them alongside Andreas Christensen, who starts his fourth game in a row as a holding midfielder after impressive displays against Deportivo Alaves, Granada, and Celta Vigo.
The back-four features Ronald Araujo in central defence, with Inigo Martinez getting the nod over the 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi, who has been given a break for this high-intensity game.
These two will take charge to screen Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while Joao Cancelo and Jules Kounde provide width from the left and right, respectively.
🚨 BARÇA XI 🚨#NapoliBarça | @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/dc03AEHmGG
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 21, 2024
Barça XI: ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Martinez, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, de Jong; Yamal, Lewandowski, Pedri
