Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly to miss Barcelona second leg?

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is reportedly set to miss the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie against Barcelona this month, after struggling to recover from a thigh injury he picked up last December.

The centre-back originally sustained the injury during Napoli's 2-1 defeat against Parma, with the 28-year-old leaving the pitch in the first five minutes of the game.

The Senegal international then returned to action in February but aggravated the problem while playing against Lecce, resulting in a 3-2 defeat to Gli Azzurri.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, he will miss the upcoming game against Barcelona to avoid rushing his recovery, even if he is deemed fit by medical staff.

The first leg resulted in a 1-1 draw between the two teams ahead of the return fixture at Camp Nou on March 18, when a place in the Champions League quarter-finals will be at stake.