For years, Barcelona have lived up to their status as one of the best – if not the best – clubs in the world. In recent years, especially during the Pep Guardiola years, the Catalan giants stocked up on silverware, amassing 14 trophies, including two Champions League cups.

In the post-Guardiola period, they didn’t win as much (by their own standards, of course) – and in eight seasons, won 15 trophies, including the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus.

Trophies aside, Barcelona line up some of the best players in the world, including Lionel Messi, considered as the greatest player of all time. 

This season, though, has been disappointing for the Catalans. They finished five points behind their eternal rivals Real Madrid in La Liga. And their only hope of lifting some silverware this season is the Champions League. 

On Saturday, August 8, they welcome Napoli at the Camp Nou for the second leg of the round of 16. The first leg ended in a surprise draw. Gennaro Gattuso – who had only been appointed Napoli coach two months earlier, when fiery Napoli president had sacked the more experienced Carlo Ancelotti – had managed to instil courage into his side. And indeed, some commentators agreed Napoli deserved to win that match after going ahead with a brilliant Dries Mertens strike – yet Barcelona had managed to earn a 1-1 draw, even with a man down, with a bit of magic from Antoine Griezmann. 

The Blaugrana’s away goal should give them an edge in the second leg. History is on the Catalans’ side – they have progressed from each of their last 19 Champions League knockout games. They haven’t lost a home Champions League match since 2009. And they have Messi who can deliver a brilliant, match-winning performance on any night. 

Napoli, on the other hand, have only won just one of their last nine away games in the Champions League. And yet, Napoli want to finish the season strongly. And Gattuso knows how to get his men – especially talents like Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Arkadiusz Milik – to perform. 

There’s also some interesting history to this clash – as the legendary Diego Maradona played for both clubs. On Thursday, his namesake son spoke of the clash with Sport, saying how Napoli might appear tighter as a team, “But be careful: you can never give up on the team of a certain Leo Messi.”

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