Barcelona vs Napoli predictions, H2H and match preview for this Saturday’s game in the UEFA Champions League. Read on for analysis, free betting tips and predicted line-ups as the Catalans target a place in the last eight.
by Mark Sochon (@marksoc1)
Barcelona vs Napoli Preview
There’s a potentially season-defining evening for Barcelona on Saturday as Napoli visit Camp Nou for the 2nd Leg of their UEFA Champions League Last 16 tie. It’s 1-1 from the 1st Leg in Naples way back in the Spring and while the Catalan giants won’t be able to rely on the support of close to 100,000 inside their iconic stadium, they should still take a degree of confidence from a formidable home record in this competition in recent years.
Given Barcelona’s away day European blues and the painful memories of Anfield and Rome, a 1-1 draw at San Paolo almost felt like a morale victory for Quique Setien’s side. However a series of unconvincing league displays since the resumption of football in June casts further doubt on this team and Barça need to bring their A game from here on out if they are going to stand any chance of getting their hands on a trophy that has eluded them in recent years.
On paper, this isn’t a vintage Napoli side. They had to make do with a lowly 7th place finish in Serie A, their worst finishing position in 11 years. Their recent away form has been poor too with 3 defeats and only 1 victory from their last 5 competitive away fixtures. However they have saved some of their best showings for the Champions League and they remain unbeaten in the competition this term, having drawn at Liverpool and won in Salzburg during the group stage.
The visitors will also take belief from Barcelona’s midfield selection issues. Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal are both suspended for this game leaving them light on options in the middle of the park and also lacking much in the way of physical presence.
Napoli meanwhile are sweating over the fitness of key man Lorenzo Insigne while Nikola Maksimovic is set to miss out through injury.
We will have UCL & UEL predictions and previews for every game involving Spanish sides between now and the end of the season.
Barcelona vs Napoli Predictions
Score Prediction: 2-1 Barcelona – Barça Progress
There is absolutely no guarantee that Barcelona will win this game let alone the competition. They’ve only really put in a couple of truly convincing performances since the restart and if they are short of their best again here, Napoli will be in with a real chance. However over the course of 90 minutes, you’d still expect the additional firepower that Messi, Suarez and Griezmann possess to see the Catalans over the line and into the Quarter-Finals against a Napoli side that is amongst the weakest of the remaining teams in the competition.
Barcelona vs Napoli Betting Tips (18+)
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Barcelona vs Napoli H2H
- The sides met in competitive European competition for the first time in the 1st Leg.
- That game ended 1-1 in Naples.
Predicted Line Ups
Barcelona Team:
Ter Stegen – Alba, Lenglet, Pique, Semedo – Roberto, De Jong, Rakitic – Griezmann, Suarez, Messi (4-3-3)
Napoli Team:
Ospina – Rui, Koulibaly, Manolas, Lorenzo – Zielinski, Demme, Ruiz – Elmas, Mertens, Callejon (4-3-3)
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