BARCELONA 3-1 NAPOLI (AGG: 4-2)
FT: Barcelona set up a mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich after beating Napoli 3-1 to progress 4-2 on aggregate. After surrendering rather meekly to Real Madrid in the La Liga title race, the Champions League is Barcelona’s only hope of a trophy this season and goals from Clement Lenglet, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez did the damage here in a first half frenzy of action where VAR was heavily involved.
Barcelona vs Napoli UEFA Champions League Match Preview or Key Statistics
📊Barcelona are set to host Napoli for the first time in a competitive match. The last team to win their first away Champions League game at Camp Nou was Rubin Kazan in October 2009 (2-1).
📊Napoli’s two previous away Champions League knockout matches have ended in defeat, losing 1-4 to Chelsea in March 2012 and 1-3 to Real Madrid in February 2017.
📊Barcelona have progressed from each of their last 19 Champions League knockout ties after avoiding defeat in the first leg away from home, only failing to progress once, going out to Juventus in the 2002-03 quarter final (1-1 first leg, 1-2 second leg).
📊Napoli have won just one of their last 10 away Champions League games (D4 L5), winning 3-2 at Red Bull Salzburg in October 2019. However, they are unbeaten in all three away games this season (W1 D2).
📊Barcelona’s run of 35 home Champions League games without defeat (W31 D4) is the second-longest in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, behind Bayern Munich’s 43-game run between 1969 and 1991.
📊Napoli’s Dries Mertens has scored six Champions League goals this season, one shy of the record for goals in a single season in UEFA competition for the club; both Edinson Cavani (2012-13 Europa League) and Gonzalo Higuain (2014-15 Europa League) scored seven each.
📊Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last five home Champions League knockout matches at Camp Nou (8 goals, 3 assists), scoring a brace in four of those five games.
📊Napoli have failed to progress from nine of their last 10 UEFA European knockout ties when failing to win the first leg, last progressing in 2013-14 against Swansea City in the Europa League last 32 (0-0 first leg, 3-1 second leg).
📊Napoli’s two previous away Champions League knockout matches have ended in defeat, losing 1-4 to Chelsea in March 2012 and 1-3 to Real Madrid in February 2017.
📊Barcelona have progressed from each of their last 19 Champions League knockout ties after avoiding defeat in the first leg away from home, only failing to progress once, going out to Juventus in the 2002-03 quarter final (1-1 first leg, 1-2 second leg).
📊Napoli have won just one of their last 10 away Champions League games (D4 L5), winning 3-2 at Red Bull Salzburg in October 2019. However, they are unbeaten in all three away games this season (W1 D2).
📊Barcelona’s run of 35 home Champions League games without defeat (W31 D4) is the second-longest in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, behind Bayern Munich’s 43-game run between 1969 and 1991.
📊Napoli’s Dries Mertens has scored six Champions League goals this season, one shy of the record for goals in a single season in UEFA competition for the club; both Edinson Cavani (2012-13 Europa League) and Gonzalo Higuain (2014-15 Europa League) scored seven each.
📊Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last five home Champions League knockout matches at Camp Nou (8 goals, 3 assists), scoring a brace in four of those five games.
📊Napoli have failed to progress from nine of their last 10 UEFA European knockout ties when failing to win the first leg, last progressing in 2013-14 against Swansea City in the Europa League last 32 (0-0 first leg, 3-1 second leg).
📊Barcelona have qualified for the Champions League quarter-final in each of the last 12 campaigns, last failing in 2006-07 under Frank Rijkaard; no other team has qualified for the last-eight of the competition in more than eight consecutive seasons.
COMMENTS