Timetable | 20:00 GMT - 21st Feb 24 |
Prediction | Barcelona to win |
Odds | 3.85 |
Bookmaker | LeoVegas |
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I have been providing predictions for the Round of 16 matches in the Champions League, and the next match that I am going to be focusing on today is Napoli v Barcelona. This game will be played at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples and has a scheduled kick-off time of 20:00 GMT. Will Napoli be able to overcome the Spanish giants, or will Barcelona walk away with a routine win and all but book themselves a spot in the last eight? Keep on reading and all will be revealed.
🏆Napoli vs Barcelona: Who Will Win?
Napoli were brilliant last season on their way to winning only their third Serie A title in their history, but it is fair that this season has not lived up to their expectations. They are currently sitting in 9th place with just 35 points under their belt from the 23 matches that they have played. This puts them 25 points adrift of Inter, who are sitting at the top of the table. Their hopes of a Champions League place next season are diminishing quickly, as they are seven points adrift of fourth spot. In all honesty, their best chance of playing Champions League football next season is to somehow win the competition this year.
Barcelona are sitting in third place in the La Liga table, ten points off Real Madrid who are occupying the first spot. With the league all but done, Barcelona will put all of their eggs into their Champions League basket, although they must ensure they do not take their foot off the gas in the league as Athletic Club are eying up a UCL spot. Their main issue this season has been conceding goals - out of the top ten teams in La Liga, they have conceded the most goals.
In the past, I would have had Barcelona as overwhelming favourites to win this match, but I feel that it will be a close one, with little to choose between the two sides - despite Napoli's form in the Serie A. I think Barcelona will come out on top in this one, and I am backing the Spanish giants to come out on top 2-1.
My Prediction: 🏆 Napoli 1 Barcelona 2 ⚽
💯 Napoli vs Barcelona Match Odds
When you are betting on football, you can usually place bets on any possible outcome. For example, if you want to bet on the number of corners in the game, you can. If you want to bet on the number of tackles a player will make, you can. However, there are three that are more popular than others, and they can be found at all established and new UK betting sites. These are:
- Match winner
- Both teams to score
- Over/under 2.5 goals
In the tables below, you can find the odds that five of my favourite sports betting sites are currently offering for these three popular markets.
Napoli vs Barcelona: Match Winner Odds
The bookmakers are completely sitting on the fence with this one and do not know which way it will go. The majority have Napoli as the very slight favourites, which I cannot quite understand. I am guessing it is because they are playing at home since it really cannot be based on their current form. However, I will talk more about this in the following section. For now, you can occupy your mind with the match winners odds for this Napoli vs Barcelona match:
Team | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Napoli | 2.56 | 2.56 | 2.50 | 2.65 | 2.57 |
Draw | 3.45 | 3.45 | 3.30 | 3.40 | 3.50 |
Barcelona | 2.59 | 2.59 | 2.50 | 2.60 | 2.60 |
Napoli vs Barcelona: Both Teams To Score Odds
While the bookies are undecided as to who will win this match, they are pretty sure that both teams will find the back of the net. As I will explain in my betting tips section, I am in agreement with the betting sites here. If you like to bet on this type of market, then below are the odds for both teams to score in this Napoli v Barcelona match.
Team | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | 1.55 | 1.55 | 1.55 | 1.52 | 1.58 |
No | 2.36 | 2.36 | 2.30 | 2.25 | 2.28 |
Napoli vs Barcelona: Over/Under 2.5 Goals Odds
The bookmakers are also pretty confident that there will be at least three goals scored in this match. I believe that both teams' strength lies in their defence, so I can see where they are coming from with these odds. This is sometimes a hard market to predict, but I think this should be quite the formality here. Below are the over/under 2.5 goals odds for this match:
Team | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Over | 1.66 | 1.66 | 1.70 | 1.67 | 1.69 |
Under | 2.09 | 2.09 | 2.10 | 2.08 | 2.08 |
N.B. Head over to our bookmaker reviews page if you want to find out more about these sports betting sites before you open an account with them.
✔️ Napoli vs Barcelona - Betting Tips
When you are betting on a football match, whether you are using your own money or some free bets that have been offered to you, then you should get into the habit of checking out betting tips from some experienced tipsters. Even if you do not agree with most of what they are saying, you just might find that golden egg.
With this in mind, in this section of my betting guide, I am going to give you my betting advice for this Napoli v Barcelona game.
- Tip 1: Bet on Barcelona to win: This will be a very close match, but my money is on Barcelona to come out trumps. For me, they have the better team and are in better form than their Italian opponents. Napoli are just not the same without Victor Osimhen's presence, so they will be glad to have him back from AFCON. He is a quality striker, but I am still backing Barcelona to win. If you want to put money on Barcelona to win, then LeoVegas Sports are currently offering odds of 2.60.
- Tip 2: Bet on both teams to score: Both teams have scored in 64% of Napoli's home matches this season, while 82% of Barcelona's away games have seen both teams find the back of the net. So, when I see stats like this, and look at the attacking talent that both teams have at their disposal, I cannot help but agree with the bookies and back BTTS in this one. You can find odds of 1.58 at Fun Casino Sports.
- Tip 3: Bet on over 2.5 goals: Goals have not been a rarity in the matches that these two teams have played this season. From all of Napoli's home matches this campaign, 73% have seen at least three goals scored, while 64% of Barcelona's away matches have seen over 2.5 goals. As mentioned earlier, Barcelona have conceded more goals than anyone in the top 10 of La Liga, so I am pretty confident that there will be goals in this match. If you agree and want to back over 2.5 goals, then you can find odds of 1.70 at 10Bet Sport.
- Tip 4: Bet on Barcelona to win 2-1: I think that Barcelona have what it takes to come out on top in this one, but I cannot see them keeping a clean sheet. I think that they will win 2-1, and you can find odds of 8.95 at Betiton Sport.
1️⃣Napoli Update
After winning the Serie A last season in some style, Napoli fans would have expected their team to be competing for the title once again. However, some key players left the club and others picked up lengthy injuries, and this has seen them struggle this season. They are 25 points behind the leaders, Inter, and have put up a pretty poor defence of their title. They are also in danger of missing out on next season's Champions League as they are seven points adrift of Atalanta, who occupy fourth.
To get into next year's UCL, they will probably have to win it this year, which is something that I do not see happening. Yes, they qualified from the Group Stage, but they were in a pretty simple group. They would have been disappointed not to qualify from a group that included Braga and Union Berlin. Below you can find their previous five results in all competitions at the time of writing:
Last 5 Games | |
---|---|
AC Milan1 Napoli0 | 11.02.24 Serie A |
Napoli2 Verona1 | 04.02.24 Serie A |
Lazio0 Napoli0 | 28.01.24 Serie A |
Napoli0 Inter1 | 22.01.24 Super Cup |
Napoli3 Fiorentina0 | 18.01.24 Super Cup |
Walter Mazzarri does not have many injuries to contend with at the moment ahead of this big UCL clash, but obviously, some players might get injured in their weekend match against Genoa. At the moment though, below you can see their only absentee:
Player | Reason |
---|---|
Alex Meret | Stomach Issues |
2️⃣ Barcelona Update
Barcelona, like Napoli, also won their respective league last season, but it also looks like they will not be retaining their title this time around. They are 10 points adrift of Real Madrid, and I do not see their great rivals letting such a gap slip. Barcelona have not had any issues finding the back of the net this season, but they have conceded more goals than they usually do. Across the whole of last season, they only conceded 20 goals, but they have already conceded 33 this season.
They have been performing better defensively in the Champions League, conceding just six goals from the six Group Stage matches that they played. This helped them to finish top of the group and get them a seeded position for the Round of 16 draw. Below are their five previous results at the time of writing:
Last 5 Games | |
---|---|
Barcelona3 Granada3 | 11.02.24 La Liga |
Deportivo Alaves1 Barcelona3 | 03.02.24 La Liga |
Barcelona1 Osasuna0 | 31.01.24 La Liga |
Barcelona3 Villareal5 | 27.01.24 La Liga |
Athletic Club4 Barcelona2 | 24.01.24 Copa del Rey: Quarter Finals |
Xavi has several injury issues ahead of this clash with Napoli, and you can see their absentees in the table below:
Player | Reason |
---|---|
Oriol Romeu | Muscle Injury |
Alejandro Balde | Hamstring Strain |
Sergi Roberto | Achilles Tendon Injury |
Ferran Torres | Hamstring Strain |
Marcos Alonso | Back Injury |
Gavi | Cruciate Ligament Injury |
👕 Napoli vs Barcelona - Potential Lineups
Pos. | Napoli 3-5-1-1 | Barcelona 4-3-3 | Pos. |
---|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | P. Gollini | M. ter Stegen | Goalkeeper |
Centre Back | L. Ostigard | J. Kounde | Right Back |
Centre Back | A. Rrahmani | P. Cubarsi | Centre Back |
Centre Back | J. Jesus | I. Martinez | Centre Back |
Right Midfielder | G. Di Lorenzo | J. Cancelo | Left Back |
Centre Midfielder | A. Zambo Anguissa | F. De Jong | Centre Midfielder |
Centre Midfielder | S. Lobotka | A. Christensen | Centre Midfielder |
Centre Midfielder | P. Zielinski | I. Gundogan | Centre Midfielder |
Left Midfielder | P. Mazzocchi | L. Yamal | Right Wing |
Forward | K. Karatskhhelia | R. Lewandowski | Striker |
Striker | G. Simeone | Pedri | Left Wing |
✒️ Sheldon Muchmore - iGaming and Sports Betting Enthusiast
This Napoli vs Barcelona prediction was written by Sheldon Muchmore.
Sheldon is a tipster and betting expert from the United Kingdom who has a passion for a whole range of sports, particularly football, rugby, and cricket. He is an avid Aston Villa fan, so feel free to feel a bit of pity for him. He has been involved in the online gambling industry for a number of years now and has written a large number of predictions for a variety of sports, so he has built up a lot of sporting expertise over the years.