Wednesday night’s Champions League round of 16 matchup pits Napoli against Barcelona, two clubs who have struggled mightily this season.
The defending Serie A winners have underachieved significantly this year. Walter Mazzarri’s squad is now in ninth place in Serie A with 36 points after 24 games. Coming into Wednesday’s match, they have won just one in their past five games across all competitions.
Even at home, Barcelona has yet to find success this year. However, having won three of their previous four games, they are supposedly back in the La Liga championship hunt. After losing in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa, the only remaining chances for the squad to win a trophy this season are in the Champions League and La Liga, as Xavi said weeks ago that this was their goal for the season.
| Top 3 markets | Best odds at bookmakers |
| Full-time draw: ⚽ | 3.50 at Bet9ja |
| Both teams to score: 🥅 | 1.60 at 1xbet |
| Over 3.5 goals: ✅ | 2.78 at Sportybet |
Napoli and Barcelona: Previous Games
The UEFA Champions League match between F.C. Barcelona and Napoli will occur on February 21, 2024. Their most recent encounter score was 1-1 between F.C. Barcelona and Napoli.
From what we can tell, these two squads have faced four times in the last several seasons.
In their four prior encounters, F.C. Barcelona has won twice, and Napoli has lost once. They have played to a tie in two of their matches.
Napoli is doing well at home, but F.C. Barcelona is unstoppable on the road.
The total number of goals scored in previous encounters between Napoli and FC Barcelona was 3.5, and the total number of goals scored by both teams was 100%.
At home, Napoli have averaged 1.83 points per game in the UEFA Champions League this season, while F.C. Barcelona have averaged 2 points on the road.
Probable Napoli Lineup
Alex Meret; Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Østigård, Mazzocchi, Zambo; Anguissa, Lobotka, Traorè; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Probable Barcelona Lineup
Ter Stegen, Cancelo, Cubarsí, Araújo, Koundé; Pedri, Gündoğan, De Jong; Vitor Roque, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Betting tips: Napoli x Barcelona
Check out our predictions of the day for Napoli vs. Barcelona
Prediction 1: Napoli x Barcelona / Full time draw
Given the game’s narrow margin of victory, neither team may have scored by the time the final buzzer sounds. Napoli and Barcelona have met twice in football’s knockout stages: in the Europa League and the Champions League. There were two legs to each of the ties, and the first match ended in a draw in both cases. Antoine Griezmann scored the equaliser in the 2019/20 Champions League after Dries Mertens had opened the scoring; Piotr Zielinski scored the winning goal in the 2021/22 Europa League, but Ferran Torres scored the equaliser to tie the game.
Prediction 2: Napoli x Barcelona / Both teams to score
The Blues should be considered at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, even if Napoli’s confidence has reached rock bottom. Bets on btts-yes have paid off in all three of their most recent meetings, and they have only lost one of their previous seven home games.
Most people have been commenting about how entertaining F.C. Barcelona’s games have been recently. In eight of the past ten games played, both sides scored, while six of the last ten games played by the visitors had four or more goals.
Prediction 3: Napoli x Barcelona / Over 3.5 goals
The next UEFA Champions League match between Napoli and Barcelona is expected to be a tightly fought clash, according to the statistical analysis of both teams’ performances. Although Napoli has a decent home record and can score goals, Barcelona may have the upper hand due to their excellent away record and goal-scoring powers. Both clubs can win the match; thus, it should be thrilling and high-scoring. Although Napoli has a good home record and a long history of victories against Barcelona, the Catalans could edge it this time.