UCL: Napoli will face Barcelona ‘without fear’ – Gattuso

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso says his team will face Barcelona “without fear” after being drawn against the Spanish champions in the Champions League last 16.

Gattuso has just taken over from Carlo Ancelotti in the Napoli hot seat and is already looking forward to the two games against Ernesto Valverde’s side.

“Barcelona are a great team, it will be a great challenge and with two fascinating games. We will face them without fear,” he said.

The first leg is scheduled to take place in Napoli on February 25, with the return at the Camp Nou on March 18.

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Barca will be favourites but have struggled against Italian teams in the knockout stages in recent seasons, going out to Juventus in 2017 and Roma in 2018.

The two teams did meet in pre-season in the United States. Barca won the first game at the Hard Rock Stadium 2-1 and then cruised to a 4-0 win in Michigan.