- Barcelona have named as many as nine youth players in depleted Champions League squad.
- The Catalan giants face Napoli in the second leg and the two sides are tied 1-1 on aggregate as things stand.
Barcelona travel to the San Paolo Stadium to take on Napoli in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. The Catalan giants drew 1-1 in the first leg almost five months ago and will aim to record a positive result to secure qualification.
Going into the crucial game, Barcelona have announced their 22-man squad for their trip to Naples. While most of the usual suspects have made the squad, Quique Setien’s side do have a handful of problems to address.
Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets will be unavailable due to suspensions, while Arthur has refused to play for Barcelona again after sealing a controversial move to Juventus.
The Barcelona midfielder has been slammed by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu for his lack of professionalism, as he refused to return to the training camp after a short holiday.
Barcelona travel to Naples with depleted resources ahead of Champions League clash
On the other hand, Ousmane Dembele and Samuel Umtiti are also unavailable for the Catalan side, as they continue to recover from long-term injuries. Aside from Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig, several other young players have been named in the Barcelona squad for the crucial Champions League encounter.
The likes of Inaki Pena, Ronald Araujo, Konrad de la Fuente, Oscar Mingueza, Ludovit Reis and Alejandro Orellana Gómez are all part of the 22-man traveling party to Naples, as they look to train with the squad and experience a Champions League encounter.
Barcelona are looking to their hands on the Champions League for the first time since the treble-winning season under Luis Enrique in 2015.
Barcelona’s 22-man squad: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Piqué, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi, Neto, Clement Lenglet, Antoine Griezmann, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto, Frenkie De Jong, Junior Firpo, Iñaki Peña, Riqui Puig, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Monchu, Oscar Mingueza, Konrad de la Fuente, Ludovit Reis and Alejandro Orellana Gomez
