Crude for Real Sociedad, with thorns for Barcelona and Atlético, and manageable for Madrid. This is how the draw for the Champions League round of 16 ended for the four Spanish teams, who will play the return matches at home. Pot two hid a demon, PSG, and it fell to the San Sebastian team. The new challenge for Imanol Alguacil's boys is called Kylian Mbappé, who passed the group stage with a clean pass. The azulgranas and rojiblancos will also have to negotiate a few curveballs in their duels against Naples and Inter, respectively. While a new rival (Leipzig) awaits Madrid, installed in the German Champions zone, but without tradition in the European heights.
Two teams in search of the lost identity
Barcelona will meet again with Naples, the team they already faced in the playoffs of the Europa League in 2021-2022, the competition to which it was relegated the last two seasons after failing to overcome the group stage of the Champions League. It has not been the only confrontation between two teams in which Maradona played, since they have met twice with a balance always favorable to Barça. The Blaugrana won the 2019-2020 European Cup (3-1 at the Camp Nou and 1-1 in Naples) and in the Europa League (1-1 at home and 2-4 at the stadium that bears precisely the name of Maradona).
The Italian team, current champion, has been very irregular during the last year – it is currently fifth, 14 points behind Inter -, so much so that it dispensed with the coach, Rudi García, replaced by Walter Mazzarri, the same one who already coached the team between 2009 and 2013 when Cavani, Hamsik or Lavezzi lined up. The change has worked and Napoli has stabilized with a formation made up of Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Natan, Olivera or Mario Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia.
Napoli, which qualified second with 11 points in the undefeated Madrid group (18), has two unbalancing players such as Osimhen, current Ball of Africa winner, and Kvaratskhelia, after losing central defender Kim Min-Jae, transferred to Bayern from Munich. The field factor can play a relevant role in a very open round of 16 since the Barcelona fans will have to face the second leg on March 12 in Montjuïc, a less intimidating stadium than the Camp Nou and the Maradona stadium, venue of the first leg on February 21 .
The two teams share the concern of finding the football identity lost after winning the last League, the Catalan with Xavi on the bench and the Italian with Luciano Spalleti, Italian coach replacing Mancini. Naples' reference is Maradona, the player who took the club to the top from 1986-1987, while Barcelona refers to Cruyff and Guardiola.
Simeone, again facing his past
If in the group stage it was Lazio that touched the sentimental chord of Diego Pablo Simeone for having worn his shield for four seasons, in the round of 16 it will be Inter Milan that puts him in front of his past as a football player. Of neroazzurri He only played two seasons, but he really liked the club. So much so that Inter has always been one of the first names that have been considered as a possible destination off the Atlético bench. “I have great memories of what I had to experience there in a short time,” Simeone said yesterday. “They are in an extraordinary moment, especially in the League; In last year's Champions League he showed he competed very well. I have great affection for Simone [Inzhagi, su entrenador] and Javier Zanetti [vicepresidente]”, continued Cholo. With the first he won the Shield at Lazio and the second has made several attempts to give him the Interista bench. “I really like how he plays,” said Simeone about the Italian champion, current leader of Serie A and finalist in the last edition of the Champions League.
Inzaghi, like Simeone, uses a three-center defense. Goalkeeper Sommer has given him more sobriety in goal without losing what Onana contributed when releasing the ball. Mkhitaryan, Barella and Çalhanoglou form a very dynamic and well-established midfielder. Lautaro Martínez, who had a closed agreement with Atlético, and Marcus Thuram form the attack. The second has consolidated due to the problems with the injuries of Alexis Sánchez and Arnautovic. It remains to be seen if the French attacker retains the job for February 20. when Atlético visits San Siro. On March 13, the second leg will be played at the Metropolitano.
Another Leipzig
Madrid already faced Leipzig last season in the league (2-0 at the Bernabéu and 3-2 defeat in Germany), but that team is quite different from the current one. After a very profitable summer in the club controlled by Red Bull, the team that Marco Rose continues to direct was left without three of its references: the central Gvardiol left for 90 million to City, the midfielder Szoboszlai went for 70 to Liverpool, and the attacker Nkunku was signed by Chelsea for 60. Three departures that changed the face of this team that continues to be the one that receives the most antipathy in German stadiums, being considered an artificial product raised with Red Bull's millions. The beverage company bought the square of a fifth-class club in 2009 to create this Leipzig. In just seven years, he had already promoted to First Division.
Now, the great offensive threat is called Loïs Openda, a 23-year-old Belgian, fast and vertical, who already has 14 goals this season. The three that Leipzig scored against City in the two group games bore his postmark. An example of revaluation, because he cost 38 million last summer, from Lens, and his price is already around 55. Behind him gravitates Xavi Simons, trained in the Barcelona youth academy and who left for PSG at the age of 16. A few months ago he arrived on loan. Dani Olmo is also at Leipzig, now injured.
Third in the Bundesliga, seven points behind Leverkusen, and already eliminated from the Cup, the best of their repertoire is concentrated in attack. The defense, on the other hand, could be improved. When the crossing arrives (February 13 and March 6), Madrid hopes to have lightened its medical part, except for the three cases of cruciate breaks (Courtois, Militão and Alaba).
All the crossings
Champions (eighth)
Porto-Arsenal
Naples-Barcelona
PSG-Real Sociedad
Inter-Atlético
PSV-Dortmund
Lazio-Bayern
Copenhagen-City
Leipzig-Real Madrid
Europa League (round of 32)
Feyenoord-Rome
Milan-Rennes
Lens-Freiburg
Young Boys-S. From Portugal
Benfica-Toulouse
Braga-Qarabag
Galatasaray-Sparta Prague
Shakhtar-Marseille
Villarreal is already in the second round
Conference (sixteenths)
Betis-Dinamo Zagreb
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