Barcelona has a lot on its plate against Napoli. © APA/afp / JOSEP LAGO

Barcelona and Napoli want to save the season

Barcelona and Napoli are hoping to salvage their messed-up season in the Champions League on Tuesday. After the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Naples, both teams can limit the damage by reaching the quarter-finals in the second leg. In the parallel match, Arsenal must turn around a first-leg defeat against Porto.

March 12, 2024

From: dpa

Barcelona have been in good form since the announcement of coach Xavi's departure at the end of the season, with their last defeat dating back to January. Most recently, they won the league 1-0 against RCD Mallorca on Friday. "We are ready. We now have a better balance between offense and defense. That is important because in the Champions League, every goal conceded is expensive," said Xavi. However, the Catalans are missing their entire regular midfield with Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Pedri.

At Napoli, the appointment of coach Francesco Calzona has also brought about a small stabilization; he has remained unbeaten in his five games so far, most recently a 1-1 draw against Torino. "We are Napoli, a strong team, and we should remember that. We are going to Barcelona without fear," he said. Goalscorer Victor Osimhen is also in good form, scoring just as many goals in these five games. For both clubs, the Champions League is probably the last opportunity to win a title and turn the season into a positive one.

Arsenal must turn first leg defeat around

Arsenal, on the other hand, are having an extremely successful season. The Gunners are top of the Premier League after the last round of matches and have recently shone in the league with eight wins in a row. In the Champions League, however, the North Londoners have to come from behind in the return match on Tuesday against FC Porto, who won 1-0 three weeks ago. Arsenal have also only won one of their last nine Champions League round of XNUMX matches, but the crowd should carry them to promotion.

FC Porto will face Arsenal today at the Emirates Stadium. © ANSA / ESTELA SILVA

"There will be an energy in the stadium that you have never seen in your life. Something wonderful will happen," said coach Mikel Arteta. Arsenal recently won 2-1 against Brentford thanks to a late goal from Kai Havertz. But Porto is also in good form, winning five of their last six competitive matches, including an impressive 5-0 win against Benfica Lisbon. Nevertheless, coach Sergio Conceicao expects a difficult task: "It will be an extremely difficult game for us. As a team, we have to give good answers to Arsenal's game."

Champions League, round of 16 matches:

Tuesday, March 12th at 21pm:
Arsenal FC – Porto FC (0:1)
FC Barcelona – SSC Napoli (1:1)

Wednesday, March 13th at 21pm:
Atletico Madrid – Inter (0:1)
Borussia Dortmund – PSV Eindhoven (1:1)