Xavi Fears Impact Of Victor Osimhen Ahead Of Barcelona Vs Napoli Clash

FC Barcelona manager, Xavi Hernandez has warned his team against Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, ahead of the UEFA Champions League clash with Napoli later tonight, March 12, 2024.

In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Victor Osimhen scored the equalizer in the 75th minute, 15 minutes after Robert Lewandowski gave the visitors the lead.

The goal from the 25-year-old striker earned the Italian Serie A giants a 1-1 draw ahead of the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.

At 9 p.m. tonight, Victor Osimhen will lead Napoli’s attack when they take on FC Barcelona in the return leg of the tie at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The tie must produce a winner which makes Barcelona coach more weary of the Nigeria international and his “dangerous” teammate, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Note that since Victor Osimhen returned from the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast where he led the Super Eagles to finish second in the tournament, the former Lille striker has scored five goals in five games.

Osimhen is currently chasing his 10th goal in the Champions League and if he gets it tonight, he will become Nigeria’s highest goalscorer of all time in the competition, a goal ahead of Obafemi Martins who scored 9 goals in 34 UCL games.

With this target in mind and his current form, Osimhen is expected to be the party spoiler for Barcelona, and Xavi has called his team’s attention to that ahead of tonight’s meeting.

“We saw them from the first leg — Osimhen and Kvaratshkelia are top-level players and dangerous,” Xavi said in the pre-match press conference.

“For us, it is essential to defend well against them and limit the chances they get to hurt us. He (Osimhen) scored from the real chance he had in the first leg and we must not let that happen.”