Napoli, third in Serie A, are the most dangerous rival for the Catalans in Monday’s draw
Barça will be on Monday December 13th in the Nyon (Switzerland) draw, but this time not in the Champions League hype, as has been customary since 2003, but in the draw for the knockout rounds of the Europa League, a continuity of consolidation for the third parties of each group, and therefore eliminated from the major competition.
The Naples He stands as the most difficult rival for Barça in the draw for the tie of the new competition. The Italian team is the third classified in Serie A. An added drawback is that the Barça team is not seeded, like none from the Champions League, and will play the second leg away from the Camp Nou.
Napoli was one of their rivals in the Champions 19-20, a tie that was interrupted by covid-19. Four months elapsed between the February first leg in San Paolo (1-1), now called the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, and the June return (3-1).
Neither Real Sociedad nor Betis
Barça will avoid Real Sociedad and Betis. In the elimination rounds, two teams from the same country cannot face each other. Neither did Sevilla, to enter the Champions League precedent.
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The teams that have been third in the groups in the Champions League are: Barcelona, Seville, Leipzig, Dortmund, Porto, Sheriff, Zenit and Atalanta, who fell at home to Villarreal (2-3), who are still alive. They will face the eight seconds of the Europa League although they will have the field factor in their favor. The champions of the eight groups are exempt and escape the tie.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com