Three Barcelona stars at the risk of suspension for UCL Round of 16 second-leg tie vs Napoli

10 months ago 58
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In a few hours, Barcelona will lock horns with Serie A champions Napoli in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie away at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

The Blaugrana are back at this stage of the competition after two years and will be eager to make the most of it and advance to the next round.

The fact that Napoli are in a turmoil and have named a new manager a day before the big game works in the Catalans’ favour as well.

As such, the focus will be on coming back with a positive result from Italy that puts them in a good position heading into the second leg at Montjuic next month.

Three players at the risk of suspension

Keeping that in mind, three Barcelona stars – Sergi Roberto, Joao Felix, and Ronald Araujo – will need to exercise caution as they are just a booking away from suspension.

Roberto, Felix have two bookings in UCL. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)

Indeed, Araujo, Felix, and Roberto are all on two yellow cards in the UEFA Champions League this season and another booking tonight against Napoli would lead to an automatic one-match ban, which would see them miss the second-leg tie against the Partenopei.

Of the three, Felix and Roberto are unlikely to start, considering that they only received their medical discharge on Tuesday after spending time out on the sidelines with injury.

As for Araujo, he is a guaranteed starter, although there could be a change in position on the cards for the Uruguayan. His getting booked and being suspended for the second leg at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys will be a major blow for Barça.

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