After Napoli and Barcelona topped the local league last season, this season's performances have been uninspiring, which undoubtedly signals that both teams will shift their focus to the Champions League.
With Barcelona coach Xavi leaving the club at the end of the season, this may be the last chance of his career. Despite the team's overall poor form, they still have the ability to turn things around with world-class goal scorer Robert Livendowski at the helm.
Whether the team can win this match depends largely on the players' ability to create good chances for Robert Livundovsky to score, with Birdy's accurate passes being crucial. Ramin Yemma is expected to come on as a substitute, and with his breakthrough ability, he may be able to deal a fatal blow to the opponent's defense.
However, Barcelona's defensive problems are the crux of their poor results. With too many goals conceded and a lack of consistency on the defensive side of the ball, it is expected that Napoli's head coach Marsali will ask his team to adopt a more aggressive attacking strategy.
The good news is that Vitor Ossenhan, fresh from the African Cup of Nations, has returned to the team, and although he hasn't scored many goals recently, I'm still convinced that he's one of the best strikers in Europe.
Aside from Ossenhan, Barcelona also needs to be wary of the threat of Kihuarasquilla. The left-sided specialist often moves forward into the center of the pitch to find shooting gaps, and his presence certainly gives the team more attacking options.
