Barcelona will lock horns with Napoli on Tuesday as they resume their UEFA Champions League campaign. The Spanish champions received a huge boost on the weekend when Real Madrid’s defeat to Levante allowed them to move to the top of the La Liga table, thanks to a 5-0 win over SD Eibar.
However, playing against Napoli could be a whole different ballgame. In this article, we will be talking about three players the Catalans need to keep an eye on if they are to have any chance of securing a win this midweek.
Arkadiusz Milik
Arkadiusz Milik is hands down the number one threat for Barcelona going into this fixture. Although Napoli haven’t had the best of campaigns, the Pole international has been consistent in front of goal. In fact, he is the club’s top scorer this season with nine goals in just 15 league games.
The ex-Ajax forward also netted three goals in three matches in the UEFA Champions League group stages – making him the one to watch out for. His ability to be at the right space at the right time could hurt Barcelona, who have appeared susceptible in big matches.
Moreover, Milik has a good understanding with his teammates, including Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne, and this brings us to our next player.
Lorenzo Insigne
Being the captain of the Napoli side, expectations on Insigne are always high. And on Tuesday, the Italian international will once again be tasked with the responsibility of leading the Napoli attack.
Lorenzo is not the tallest of attackers, but his mobility on the flanks coupled with his ability to drift past defenders could terrorise Barcelona on the sides. Nelson Semedo, in particular, has been guilty of lacking defensive discipline in big matches and Insigne will surely look to exploit the Portuguese to add more bite into the Napoli attack.
Let us also not forget, Insigne is capable of trying his luck from long-range and is recently coming on the back of a 2-1 win over Brescia, where he scored the equaliser.
Fabian Ruiz
While Insigne netted the equaliser against Brescia, it was Fabian Ruiz who netted the all-important winner in the 54th minute to help Napoli seal all three points.
Ruiz is a pivotal part of the Napoli midfield that has enjoyed tremendous success under Gennaro Gattuso. His excellent distribution and overall technical prowess simply add another dimension to the club’s approach play. But, the Spaniard is also capable of hurrying and hassling the opposition, thanks to his aggression.
But more importantly, Ruiz has experience playing against Barcelona as well, having played for Real Betis prior to his big-money move to Napoli in 2018.
