The UEFA Champions League anthem will resound once more in Barcelona this season, as the club has qualified for the Round of 16 tie.
After being relegated to the Europa League in consecutive seasons, Barça will take pride in finally progressing past the group stages. But the challenges ahead are set to intensify.
Today, it was confirmed that Barcelona will face Napoli in the Champions League round of 16.
Going up against an Italian powerhouse, the Catalan giants undoubtedly face a tough task. Yet, the opposition recognises Barcelona’s prowess, with Napoli’s coach Walter Mazzarri acknowledging the threat they are likely to present.
The coach acknowledged that at this stage of the competition, there are no more easy opponents remaining. Nevertheless, he recognised Barcelona as a particularly formidable adversary.
“After the match against Cagliari, I said that all the teams qualifying for the round of 16 are strong, and therefore any match will be difficult, but this match against Barcelona is particularly difficult.” Mazzarri expressed as quoted by FCB World)
“For us, facing Barcelona will be a great challenge,” he added.
Barcelona are presently third in La Liga, grappling with inconsistency in results as their hopes of keeping hold of their title slip away.
Despite their impressive quality on paper, the Blaugranes cannot be discounted as contenders for the competition, and Mazzarri is mindful of the challenging task ahead.
Simultaneously, his own team has faced challenging periods during the season, sitting fifth in the Serie A standings.
However, Napoli's individual quality is also exceptionally high, capable of overpowering any opposition on their best days.
With plenty of time before the two teams face off, it's reasonable to assume that both Napoli and Barcelona will aim to regain their form before one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.
It must be noted that the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 matches have been confirmed which will begin in February 2024.
Teams finishing top of their groups were drawn to the runner-ups from other groups. However, teams from the same country cannot face each other.
UCL Round of 16 matches:
- FC Porto vs Arsenal FC
- Napoli vs FC Barcelona
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad
- Inter Milan vs Atletico de Madrid
- PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund
- Lazio vs Bayern Munich
- FC Copenhagen vs Manchester City
- RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid
