Barcelona manager Quique Setien insisted the club cannot complain about their 1-1 draw with Napoli. The Blaugrana have an away goal advantage and the boss believes the second leg will not be as intense as the first leg. Napoli took the initiative in the first half of the encounter when Dries Martens scored to put his side ahead. The goal took Martens one ahead of former Napoli captain, Marek Hamsik. So, Martens is officially the highest goal scorer in Napoli history.
Barcelona kept pushing for an equalizer, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann were kept at bay by the Napoli defense, as Koulibaly and Manolas stood firm. The first half ended, and Martens’s goal was all that separated the sides.
Barcelona continued to ask the Napoli defense questions, and the deadlock was broken when Griezmann scored the equalizer. The matches ended 1-1. The tie is still open, and Napoli will have to score at Camp Nou if they are to have any chance to progress to the next round.
Midfielder Arturo Vidal picked up two quick yellow cards in the second half for a challenge on Mario Rui before shoving his head into the Napoli defender.
Sergio Busquets will also miss the second leg next month after accumulating a ban following another yellow card. While Gerard Pique limped off during stoppage time after rolling his ankle, the defender his fit again as he featured the entire duration of last weekend El Clasico. A match Barca lost 2-0, surrendering the league top spot in the process.
Satien believes his side will have to be at their best if they are to knock Gattuso’s men out of the competition. Speaking after the El Clasico defeat, he said, his side is capable and their injury crisis within the club should not be an excuse when they face the Italian side in three weeks’ time.