FC Barcelona will be hoping to bounce back from the weekends disappointing 1-1 draw with OGC Nice tomorrow as they travel to Switzerland to take on Rafa Benitez’ SSC Napoli side at the Stade de Geneve. Despite the match being played at a neutral venue, the fixture has sold out meaning the Blaugrana’s will be playing in front of a 30,000+ capacity crowd. It may not be the Camp Nou but the modern setting of the Stade de Geneve is fitting for this pre-season encounter. In past years even the best clubs in the world have not played in neutral venues for friendly matches- but now it is almost common practice.

Despite Diego Maradona linking the two clubs together, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli have never squared off against each other in a competitive match- only two friendly’s have been played in the course of their illustrious histories. The latest clash, some three years ago, saw Pep Guardiola’s side fly to a Manita victory in the Joan Gamper Trophy thanks to a five goal thriller. Should we expect similar proceedings in Geneva?

Some would argue perhaps not. Barcelona were unimpressive at the weekend against lowly Nice, and could have easily lost that game if not for the timeless magic of Xavi. Xavi, who just recently retired from international football, came from the bench in the second-half to turn around the Blaugrana’s fortunes. Serie A kicks off a week later than La Liga which means Napoli may not be as advanced in preseason preparations as Luis Enriques side. However, a hard-fought encounter between the two teams should be expected, anything else would be surprising and disappointing.

TEAM NEWS

BARCELONA

Yesterday, Luis Enrique named his 21-man squad that will be making the reasonably short trip north to Geneva. Unsurprisingly, World Cup finalists Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano were left out of the squad.

Messi and Mascherano are the last of Barca’s World Cup representatives to return to training and have been left in Catalunya. There are also injury c0ncerns of varying severity regarding the fitness of a number of players- Neymar, Dani Alves, Jeremy Mathieu, Xavi, Adriano Correia and B team player Patric. Ibrahim Afellay and Alex Song are also not traveling for other reasons, Afellay is tipped to be missing out for tactical reasons while Song has only recently returned from personal leave.

Subsequently, tonight’s Barca squad perhaps isn’t the most star studded and could be well matched by UEFA Champion’s League qualifiers Napoli. Having starred in the last preseason fixture, Marc-André ter Stegen may have to drop to the bench in order to hand Claudio Bravo his Barcelona debut. Bravo is a leader and a great dressing room presence, much like Pinto before him, something that may be needed now Puyol has departed. He is also incredibly gifted and could easily be considered the best passing goal keeper in world football. In this respect, it would be good to see Bravo given a chance to prove his worth and push for that starting position.

Defensively, Martin Montoya will continue unopposed at right-back, with Marc Bartra and Gerard Piqué set to start in the centre of defence after Jeremy Mathieu unfortunately picked up an injury against Nice. Jordi Alba should complete a rather strong Barça backline.

Sergio Busquets will most likely continue at pivote, with Sergi Samper ready to step off the bench for the second consecutive match, after an impressive second-half display against Nice. Busquests’ talent is undeniable, but it was encouraging to see Samper so focused in a preseason fixture, hinting that he may well be ready to take on a first team position when required to.

Presumably, Andres Iniesta will captain the side tomorrow in Xavi’s absence, partnering up with Sergio Roberto in central midfield. Although, there is a strong case for fan favourite Alen Halilovic to occupy the midfield alongside Iniesta as he has been a standout player in the teams preseason campaign, remaining unfazed irrespective of the playing style or experience of the opposition.

On the other hand, perhaps new signing Ivan Rakitić is in line to make his first start as a Barcelona player. Born in northern Switzerland, this would be the perfect opportunity for Rakitić to make his full debut.

Pedro will lead the line in attack, at least in experience and ability, with Rafinha and Gerard Deulofeu providing support. Despite bundles of talent at their disposal the attack only demonstrated briefly against Nice, an improvement is necessary if they wish to show Napoli they are the stronger side.

NAPOLI

It is rumoured that tomorrow’s match will most likely mark Camilo Zuniga’s preseason debut, whilst Neymar, the Brazilian forward he brutally fouled during their World Cup quarter-final clash, remains side-lined with a broken back. Gonzalo Higuain is unlikely to feature, while Henrique Buss, one of the many Barça rejects at centre-half, is also expected to miss out as he too only just returned to training.

Nevertheless, Napoli still possesses quality in abundance, and may hand a start to new signing Michu, recently signed from Swansea.

Possible Line-ups:

Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Montoya, Bartra, Piqué, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Roberto; Pedro, Rafinha, Deulofeu

Napoli (4-2-3-1): Rafael; Maggio, Albiol, Koulibaly, Zuniga; Dzemali, Inler; Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens; Michu