Barcelona vs Napoli: TV schedules, live streaming options, preview

Topics: TV Listings, TV Schedules, Barcelona, Napoli, UEFA Champions League

After the first leg finished as a 1-1 draw, both Barcelona and Napoli will have everything to play for as they square off in the second leg of their round of 16 tie.

After a surprising one-all draw from the first leg, the stakes definitely will be much higher as Barcelona and Napoli prepare to do battle for a coveted spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.

Four teams have already booked their spots in the quarter-finals, with reigning UCL holders Manchester City joined by all-time winners Real Madrid, as well as Bayern Munich and PSG. Over the next few days, four more teams will join them, and it is safe to say that both Barcelona and Napoli certainly will be doing their utmost best to be among those featuring in the quarter-finals draw on Friday.

When this fixture was announced, there were quite a few people who expected Barcelona to have no issues dispatching their Italian opponents. After all, the Blaugrana are no strangers to the Champions League, and are featuring in their 28th competition this season. By contrast, Napoli are newer faces to European club football's club competition, and although the Partenopei made an impressive run last term as well as won the Scudetto, the overwhelming belief was that Xavi's side would likely be the winner of this two-legged series.

Yet, despite taking a lead through veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona were unable to hold onto their slender advantage, which gave Napoli a chance to pull level through the highly-rated Victor Osimhen. As such, both teams will have everything to play for in what should be a very interesting battle at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (which is serving as Barcelona's temporary home ground this season).

Barcelona have been in solid form as of late. The Blaugrana, who sit in third spot in La Liga, come into this match unbeaten in their last eight across all comps. However, as they are out of the Copa del Rey and sit eight points behind Real Madrid in the battle for the La Liga title, the Champions League is looking like Barcelona's only realistic chance of silverware this season.

A win on Tuesday would mean that the Catalan club progress to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020, and given that they have progressed to the next stage in all but one of their last 21 knockout rounds after avoiding a loss from the first leg, the odds, on paper, at least, do look good for Xavi's side. However, Napoli have seen an impressive revival since interim boss Francesco Calzona took over, and are unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions.

Yet, retaining the Scudetto appears to be a bridge too far. Not only do Napoli sit in seventh spot, but also they are a whopping 31 points behind an Inter side who simply are unstoppable in Serie A at the moment. Despite recording an impressive draw from the first leg, they will be facing a real tough battle ahead. Napoli have never beaten Barcelona in European competition (D3 L2) and although they have won five of their last eight away games overall, they have been eliminated in every single one of their last 11 UEFA ties in which they failed to win the first leg.

Of course, in football, anything could happen. Barcelona are missing quite a few players still due to injuries, and Napoli have shown that they don't have any issues with finding the back of the net when things are going their way. Will fans see Napoli finally end their Spanish hoodoo on Tuesday? Or will Barcelona book what would be their first ever quarter-finals appearance in four years?

Team news: Barcelona vs Napoli

All info as of March 11, 2023

Barcelona: Ferran Torres, Marcos Alonso, Frenkie De Jong, Pedri, and Gavil are all still out, as well as Alejandro Balde.

Napoli: As for the visitors, Jens Cajuste, Cyril Ngonge could end up missing this game, along with Amir Rrahmani, due to thigh injuries.

Match facts: Barcelona vs Napoli

This will be the sixth European meeting featuring Barcelona and Napoli
To date, the Partenopei have never beaten the Blaugrana (D3 L2)
Barcelona's home record against Italian teams is W19 D7 L3
Overall, the Blaugrana have a record of W9 L5 in two-legged clashes against Italian teams
Barcelona are featuring in their 28th Champions League campaign (and are making their 23rd appearance in the knockout rounds)
Napoli's away overall away record against Spanish sides is W3 D1 L8
In addition, Napoli have won just one of their last nine two legged ties against Spanish teams (W1 L8) and have lost all of their last seven
Napoli have won just two of their last 17 clashes versus Spanish teams (D6 L9)