A key moment of the season is here upon us once more. The weekend league game against Mallorca went exactly as planned for Barcelona.

The task was to grab all three points. Thanks to 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who curled a delightful left-footed effort into the top corner in the 73rd minute.

That lone goal was enough to give Xavi's men the much-needed three points, which helped the team retain its third position and remain in the hunt for the league title. 

Now, focus has shifted towards the Champions League, which is Barca's realistic hope for silverware this season.

Although it was not a vintage performance from FC Barcelona, as Culers, we need to pick ourselves up, criticize less, and look into some improvements.

One notable improvement so far is Barcelona's defense. The backline has been as solid as the Berlin Wall that's mounting the goalpost.

Barca have only conceded two goals in their last five matches and have kept a clean sheet in the last three. 

That's a milestone considering how the squad cheaply ship in goals before the upgrade. 

Perfect example is the league match against Villarreal, in which Barcelona conceded five goals. In the Copa del Rey, Barca conceded four against Bilbao and another four against Real Madrid in the league. That's thirteen goals in just three outings!

Compare both stats, and you'll quite agree with me that the Blaugranes are looking more like their old selves from a defensive point of view. 

Five wins from eight matches since Xavi's announcement 

Things have changed since Xavi's announcement of leaving the club by the end of this season.

The win against Javi Aguirre's Mallorca at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys makes it five wins in eight games played under Xavi Hernandez, drawing the remaining three. 

This is another uplift! We must give the manager credit where it’s due and acknowledge that he walked into a very difficult situation.

We also need to keep in mind that many of the problems he’s working through are structural and not an indictment on his abilities as a coach. 

Yeah, winning trophies is cultural in Barcelona, but given the financial straits, Xavi gave the club a critical gift. 

In fact, call it a lifeline due to the levers that were pulled in an effort to keep the team competitive in the short term. 

What can we expect from the Barcelona vs. Napoli second-leg tie?

The Champions League round of 16 return leg will be at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The first leg was tied 1-1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Meaning the Tuesday game in Montjuïc is an all-or-nothing game. One team must go through to the next round. 

It'll be a dramatic night of football! Both teams have improved greatly.

Since Francesco Calzona took over from Walter Mazzarri in the run-up to the 1-1 draw in Naples, the Gil Azzurri have recorded two wins and three draws, including the 6-1 crushing of Sassuolo away from home.

This upturn in form for FC Barcelona and Napoli means we're in for a fascinating show on Tuesday night. 

Napoli will come to Barcelona with the idea of playing their game without fear. They have no major injuries, and Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia are in good form.

The Nigerian striker, since returning from the African Cup of Nations, has bagged five of the 11 goals Napoli have scored in the games with Calzona as coach, including the goal in the Champions League against Barça.

While the Georgian player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has four and plays a key role for the Italian side,. 

Amir Rrahmani and Giacomo Raspadori were the other scorers, making it 11 goals in five matches played since Francesco Calzona's arrival.

So, expect a competitive balance. Both clubs are evenly matched, and the game itself is highly disputed.

Barca Without Key Players

Barca trained on Sunday, and all the available first-team players took part in the workout recovery, as well as Kochen, Cubarsí, Marc Guiu, H. Fort, M. Casadó, and Pau Prim from Barça Atlètic. 

Ferran Torres is yet to be declared fit. Alejandro Balde is out of the season due to a tendon injury. Frenkie De Jong suffered an ankle injury and will be back in mid-April. 

Pablo Gavi is out of season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury. Alonso is battling a back injury, so it's doubtful. 

Pedri is down with a muscle injury until March. And Raphina suffered an ankle injury in the match against Mallorca.

As you can see, seven of Barcelona's starting eleven won't feature in the Champions League match against Napoli.

Should we fret? Never! 

Fermin Lopez, Christensen, and Ilkay Gundogan are all available to steer the midfield. 

Joao Felix, Lewandowski, Yamal, and Marc Guiu are there to hold offensive roles.

No panic at the back. Our defenders are all available, and the best part is the great partnership between Kounde, Cubarsi, Cancelo, and Araujo. There's also Marinez, whom always finds a way to outperform our expectations.