Napoli vs Barcelona UCL Odds & Preview
Maradona Derby in Round of 16
Osimhen Doubtful for Napoli
In a “Maradona Derby”, Napoli take on Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16. The first leg is on Wednesday, at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples and Barcelona host the second leg in March. Napoli won the Serie A title last season but they’ve struggled quite a bit in recent months. Plus, star striker Victor Osimhen is doubtful for this match for Napoli. It hasn’t been Barcelona’s best campaign but coach Xavi will want to win some extra silverware before departing the club this Summer. Ahead of the match, we’ll preview the Napoli vs Barcelona UCL odds.
Napoli vs. Barcelona
Date, time:
Location: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy
Napoli vs Barcelona Head-to-Head
This is just the second time the UEFA Champions League draw has paired Napoli and Barcelona. In the 2019-20 round of 16, these teams drew 1-1 and Barcelona won the second leg 3-1 to advance to the Quarter-final. In 2021-22, Napoli and Barcelona met in the Europa League knockout Play-off round. They drew the first leg 1-1 and Barcelona picked up a 4-2 win in Naples to advance. The Partenopei are looking for their first-ever win vs. Barcelona here.
Napoli Lacking Consistency
Napoli just haven’t been the same team since title-winning coach Luciano Spalletti and defender Kim Min-jae departed over the Summer. The Partenopei needed a stoppage time equalizer to draw at home vs. Genoa on Saturday and are in ninth place in Serie A. Cyril Ngonge did score his first goal for his new club but Victor Osimhen was conspicuously absent for Napoli. Osimhen hasn’t been fully fit since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations and he’s doubtful for Wednesday’s match.
Without Osimhen, Napoli have floundered and they’ve been a pick to avoid when soccer betting. Plus, backups Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone haven’t been able to pick up the slack. Napoli have won just one of their last five matches, in all european competitions and they’ve scored just three goals during that time. Osimhen, despite only playing in 13 of Napoli’s 24 Serie A games this season, is the Partenopei’s leading scorer in the league, with seven goals. With a 3-1-2 record, Napoli managed to finish in second in Group C, behind Real Madrid, in the UCL group stage.
No Napoli player scored more than one goal in the group stage and Walter Mazzarri may need Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to step up. Kvara, the Georgian winger who took Serie A by storm last season, has been dangerous this season but not at his best. Matteo Politano has also had his moments but Napoli simply haven’t been consistent this season. Still, the Napoli vs Barcelona UCL odds price the hosts as +160 favorites.
Yamal and Lewandowski Stepping up for Barcelona
Considered out of the La Liga title race and eliminated from the Copa del Rey, this is Barcelona’s best opportunity for silverware this season. Like Napoli, Barcelona have struggled with consistency this season but to a lesser degree. Barça have won three of their last four matches overall but it did take a last minute winner to defeat Celta Vigo on Saturday. Robert Lewandowski opened up the scoring with a clever finish in the 45th minute and Lamine Yamal provided the assist.
Minutes into the second half, Iago Aspas equalized for hosts Celta Vigo. Yamal ended up winning a penalty deep into stoppage time and Vicente Guaita initially saved Lewandowski’s spot kick. However, a VAR review showed Guaita left his line early and Lewandowski buried the retake for the win. Yamal is just 16 years old but he’s stepped up for Barcelona in recent weeks. In the Champions League, Barcelona went 4-2 in their group and advanced as winners. However, they went just 1-2 on the road and lost to Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk and show just +2000 outright Champions League odds.
With multiple first team players out, Xavi’s also started 18-year old Vitor Roque at Celta Vigo. Joao Felix, Ferran Torres, Sergi Roberto, Alex Balde, Marcos Alonso and Gavi are all out on Wednesday. Barcelona have also been leaking goals as of late, as they’ve conceded 10 times in their last five matches overall. While Barcelona are expected to go through to the Quarter-final, they’ve had their fair share of European disappointments during Xavi’s tenure.
Napoli vs Barcelona Match Analysis & Odds
When the round of 16 draw came out, this was one of the most highlighted matchups. Neither team has been excellent this season and this one could be a bit of a wild card. If Osimhen doesn’t play for Napoli, they won’t have the same offensive dynamism and may have to rely on moments of brilliance. Barcelona may also trot out a couple of young, inexperienced but energetic wingers.
The odds certainly reflect the unpredictability of this one, as the Napoli vs Barcelona UCL odds price the hosts as ever-so-slight +160 favorites. Barcelona come in at +161 odds and a draw shows +247. While a bunch of Barcelona’s recent matches have turned into shootouts, Napoli’s have typically been low-scoring affairs. Even the over/under goal total in this one is quite unpredictable, as over 2.5, 3 goals sit at -108 and the under is priced at -112.
This is expected to be the closest game of the Champions League matchday and it is a pick’em. Napoli (pk -112) have been underwhelming at home this season but they are an unbeaten 2-1-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in 2024. Meanwhile, Barcelona (pk -108) are unbeaten in the road in La Liga but went just 1-2 away from home in the UCL group stage.
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