Madrid (AFP)
A Liga conceded to Real Madrid and a season punctuated by scandals of all kinds: for FC Barcelona of Lionel Messi, the knockout stages of the Champions League against Naples on Saturday (9 p.m. local, 7 p.m. GMT) will be the last chance to save a disaster season.
The end of a Stations of the Cross: after a nightmarish 2019-2020 exercise on the ground and on an extra-sporting level, Messi and Barça approach this Champions League as an ultimatum, after the draw (1-1) hung on the way to Italy.
The Argentine superstar, crowned with a seventh title from Pichichi (Spain's top scorer), sounded the alarm at the end of La Liga: "I already said it a while ago, but if we continue like that, it will be very difficult to win the Champions League, "La Pulga (" Chip "in Spanish) warned on July 16, in an outing as powerful as it is rare.
- "Change in depth" -
"We will have to change in depth if we want to fight for the + Champions +. Because otherwise, the match against Napoli, we will lose it too", had fulminated the six-fold Golden Ball after the defeat against Osasuna, who had rolled out the red carpet for the title of Real Madrid in La Liga ... before tempering by assuring that Barça had "made his self-criticism".
Less sparkling than in recent years, aging, shaken by heavy injuries and repeat business this season ... Barça limps, but still dreams of Europe.
The Blaugranas and the "MSG" of Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann (back from injury to the right quadriceps), unbeaten at home for 35 matches in C1 but who have not lifted the "Big Ears Cup" since 2015, are therefore preparing to receive Naples on Saturday in a Camp Nou (99,000 places) behind closed doors, due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
"I do not understand the reason why we have to play in a city which is experiencing big problems", regretted last week the president of Naples, Aurelio de Laurentiis, who will reluctantly see his team make the trip to Barcelona, a city that took new restrictive measures after an upsurge in cases of contamination since the end of July.
"It is surely a disadvantage (to play behind closed doors), because for a match which transcends you like this one, the full and lively stands could have had a positive effect ...", regretted the coach blaugrana Quique Setién, end of July.
On an ejection seat after a very mixed second half of the season, Setién, appointed in January after the dismissal of Ernesto Valverde, is also counting on this Champions League to reaffirm his legitimacy on the Barça bench.
- Griezmann back, Insignia in doubt -
Friday at a press conference, the technician however tried to display an unfailing serenity: "It did not cross my mind that it could be my last game. I'm calm, ready. I think the we will continue, and we will tackle the rest of the competition, until the end in Portugal, with the same energy and the same enthusiasm ", he assured.
With the returns of Griezmann, but also of Clément Lenglet and the young Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong (in addition to Dembélé, preserved), Barça hopes to access the final tournament of the Champions League, played by eight teams in Lisbon (August 12-23) in a one-game system, due to the outbreak.
Especially that opposite, the Italian formation is preparing to "climb Everest" Barça, according to the words of his technician Friday, with a big question mark on his star and captain Lorenzo Insigne, affected in the adductor left and came out in tears on Saturday in the last league game against Lazio.
"Yesterday he did 50% of the training, today 100%. Tomorrow I'll see if he feels 100%, and if he doesn't he won't play. The decision, we will take it him, me, and the doctors, "said coach Gennaro Gattuso this Friday evening at a press conference.
Before touching the final coronation, which still remains an almost inaccessible dream given his last performances and the raised table that awaits him in case of qualification (including Bayern or Chelsea in the quarterfinals), the Catalans will have to first to pass over a Naples which wants to "write history", as announced by Gattuso, before hoping to put a little balm around their open wounds.
© 2020 AFP