Barcelona vs Napoli prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-03-11 20:00.
[p]After an underwhelming three seasons in European football, Barcelona are potentially just 90 minutes away from reaching their first UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final since 2019/20. The Spanish side drew the first leg of their Round of 16 tie against Napoli 1-1, and with 13 wins from their last 16 home knockout ties in the competition (D2, L1), look good value to get the job done here.[/p]
[p]They head into this tie in good form too, thanks to an eight game unbeaten run across all competitions (W5, D3) – one which has helped them close the gap on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. The most recent of those results was a 1-0 victory over Mallorca on Friday night, lifting some of the pressure on out-going manager Xavi, who could still ride off into the sunset having lifted yet more silverware when he leaves the club this summer.[/p]
[p]Attempting to stop them in their tracks will be their Italian visitors, who reached the UCL quarter-finals for the first time in their history last season, a feat they can repeat by winning this game. A trip to Spain probably isn’t ideal in search of securing back-to-back last eight appearances though, as Napoli have lost five of their last six games on Spanish soil in European football (W1).[/p]
[p]The chances of improving that torrid run here appear plentiful given the Italian champions are currently on their longest unbeaten run of the season, a six match streak across all competitions (W2, D4), coming from behind to avoid defeat in three of those outings. One of those games was their most recent fixture on the road, when Francesco Calzona’s side registered the joint-second biggest away victory in their history, a 6-1 drubbing of Sassuolo in Serie A.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Barcelona’s João Félix has netted first or last in seven of his eight goalscoring appearances in the UCL. Battling him for supremacy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had won each of the 20 Napoli matches in which he had scored up until Friday’s 1-1 draw with Torino.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Six successive Napoli matches have seen both teams score, including four 1-1 draws![/p]