Midweek Champions League action takes us to Italy as Napoli play host to Barcelona.
A Neapolitan Experience
While Napoli have sacked manager Walter Mazzarri after just three months in charge and replaced him with Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona.
New Napoli Manager
Although there is never a right time to hire and fire a manager, on the eve of a Champions League tie must be considered as one of the stranger times in which to do so. Then again, Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis is not known for doing things by the norm.
The Italian film producer has had to watch his club star in a horror show this season and with last season’s Serie A winners currently sitting ninth in the table, a second managerial change of the campaign has only recently been made.
After Luciano Spaletti announced a sabbatical – which in turn became the appointment as Italian national team manager, it was Rudi Garcia who was given the reins at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Garcia’s time in Napoli was a precursor to how bad things are looking this season, and the former Marseille and Lyon manager could add the Italian outfit to his list of previous employers before the end of November 2023.
Garcia out, Walter Mazzarri in and with the former Waford manager employed to turbocharge Napoli’s fortunes, such a move offered little in the way of the progress. The only progress made was his removal and the installation of Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona in the past few hours.
Chopping and changing at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, the same to soon happen at one of the Argentine’s former clubs and with Xavi announcing his departure from Barcelona at the end of the season, he will want to end his tenure in Catalunya on a high.
Even though they edged past Celta Vigo on Saturday in the dying seconds, such highs look unlikely to come on a domestic front. Currently third in La Liga, nipping at the heels of local rivals Girona rather than that of arch rivals Real Madrid.
In fairness to Xavi and his players, such highs also look unlikely to come on a European front either and with this Barcelona side also failing to match their own talents of 12 months prior – even if not at the same degree of decline as Napoli, the only way is down from the top.
If the writing has been on the wall for Xavi, then at least he was able to write his own goodbye letter and with a European farewell tour beginning on Wednesday, it is time for he and Barcelona to play some of their greatest hits.
But now it is time for the first of my two tips and first up, I think it is too soon for any Napoli new manager bounce to kick in and therefore, I am backing a Barcelona win and both teams to score at odds of 7/2.
In addition to this, I am going to opt for a correct score tip to back up what I have predicted above. Barcelona to nick this one by a single goal and therefore, a 2-1 away win for Xavi’s men is priced at 17/2.
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