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The Spanish giants were underwhelming in their performance as they dominated the possession stats but just managed two shots on target in the entire game. This game was also the first time that a Barcelona player other than Lionel Messi has scored in the knockout stages on the road for the club since Neymar in 2015.
Dries Mertens scored his 121st goal for Napoli, which puts him on top of the all-time goal-scoring charts for the Serie A club alongside former captain Marek Hamsik. The Slovenian captain played for Napoli between 2007 and 2019 and surpassed Diego Maradona’s tally of 115 goals for the club during the 2017-18 season.
Barcelona have a brilliant record in the last 16 of the Champions League as they have progressed from this stage in each of the last 12 seasons, a competition record. Meanwhile, Napoli have been eliminated in their past two European ties against Spanish opposition. Napoli have never progressed beyond the Round of 16 and getting past Barcelona will not be an easy task.
With his goal against West Ham United on Monday (February 24, 2020), Mohammad Salah is now just two goals behind in the leading scorer's chart in the Premier League this season. Salah’s tally of 92 goal contributions (68 goals and 24 assists) in Europe’s top 5 leagues is only behind Lionel Messi (125 goal contributions) since the start of 2017-18 season.
The two teams met earlier in the season with Chennaiyin coming out in top as 2-0 winners, courtesy of goals from Rafael Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis. Owen Coyle and his team defied all the odd while booking a place in the semi-finals as they went on a seven-game unbeaten run, winning six of those after recording just two wins in their opening nine games.
Inter Milan released a statement on social media through their official twitter account on late Monday night that the Europa League game against Ludogorets will take place behind closed doors. Inter said the decision was taken ‘in accordance with the requirements of the health authorities in the Region of Lombardy and the Municipality of Milan and with the agreement of UEFA.’
In a recent interview with Italian news radio station Radio24, Juventus president Agnelli said ‘It is heresy to say that you don't think of Guardiola, but you have to evaluate the moment you are in, like any professional.’ Agnelli knows that it will be difficult to acquire the services of the City manager as he looks set to stay at the English club.
Diego Maradona is considered as a deity in the Campanian capital to this day and the people sporting the Sky Blue still hold the former Argentina captain in the highest of regards. Barcelona will face Napoli in the Round of 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday and it will be Lionel Messi’s first visit to Naples for a competitive match.
Eibar became one of the many sides on Sunday to be on the end of a Lionel Messi masterclass as the Argentine inspired Barcelona to a 5-0 win. But after the defeat, the 16th placed La Liga side shared a post which roughly translated to ‘We suffer you, We suffer from you, We cope with you, But we have no choice to stand and applaud you.’
Lahore Qalandars are still searching for their first win and will be looking for it when they face the Shadab Khan-led side. Chris Lynn was brilliant in the match against Multan Sultans as he scored 39 off just 19 deliveries but was unable to convert this start as he was dismissed by Moeen Ali. Even Haris Rauf had an off day on the field and was smashed for 40 in his 40 overs.
United have a good record when facing Watford at home, the record English champions have won all their six premier league games at Old Trafford against them scoring 14 goals in the process. The two teams met earlier in the season and the Nigel Pierson-led side came out as 2-0 winners courtesy of goals by Troy Deeney and Ismaila Sarr.
Oman have been in fantastic form in recent months as they won all of their matches in the tri-series against USA and Nepal and will fancy their chances in this match as well. These two teams are paired in Group A along with Qatar and Maldives. Meanwhile, Group B includes teams such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Odisha are sixth in the points table and could move up to as high as the fifth position with a win in this clash. The two teams met earlier in the season and it ended in a goalless draw so they will be hopeful of getting a result this time around. Odisha forward Manuel Onwu has been in brilliant form, scoring four in his last three games
Quetta Gladiators got the better of Islamabad United in the tournament opener as the won the game by three wickets and Karachi Kings, on the other hand, defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 10 runs in their first match of the competition. This will be an exciting match as both teams have some good players in the team and an intense affair could be expected in Karachi.
Ashton Agar was the star of the opening game as the Australian all-rounder finished the match with the figures of 5/24 which included a hat-trick. Brilliant innings from Aaron Finch and Steve Smith helped the visitors to a total of 196/6 in their 20 overs. South Africa were no match to the Australian bowling might and were all-out for just 89 run.
Along with the return of Cristiano for the game against SPAL, the Juventus squad also sees the inclusion of some new faces from the youth teams. Defender Wesley Olivera Andrade, midfielder Daouda Peeters and forward Marco Oliveri have been added to the matchday team. This decision was taken with the Champions League game against Lyon in mind.
The Sultans’ are at the top of the points table with a crucial win in their opening game while Islamabad are fifth in the six-team group. Multan Sultans chased down the target of 139 set by Lahore due to spectacular team performance. Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali were brilliant with the ball while Shan Masood and Rilee Rossouw showed great character with the bat.
The two teams met earlier in the season with the defending Spanish champions coming out on top with a 3-0 win courtesy of goals from Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Eibar are struggling this season and are just three points away from the top zone and need to produce a result which they haven’t manage in the last eleven meetings and beat Barcelona.
The two teams met earlier in the season on Christmas Day with the two-time champions coming out in top 1-0 courtesy a goal from Australian David Williams. The Blues traditionally have the upper hand in this fixture with four victories in five games and will be hopeful of a similar result this time around as well.
2016 Champions West Indies will begin their campaign against debutants Thailand and will be eager to start on a front foot. The 2018 semi-finalists have been on a downward spiral as they have lost the last nine matches leading into the World Cup. So this will be a good opportunity for them to stop this poor run of results and get some confidence back.
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