Big date

UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona travel for one of the most important games of their season when they face Italian club Napoli in the first leg of their Round of 16 stage in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

The game is vital for the Spanish club's economy, as well as for the credibility of coach Xavi Hernandez, who has already said he will be stepping down at the end of the season, but who could find himself leaving earlier (despite assurances to the contrary) in the case of a defeat.

Barcelona's budget for 2023-2024 was partly based on their reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League, with the extra 10 million the club would receive from UEFA for reaching the last eight, making a difference to an institution with debts of over 1,000 million euros.