The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 continues on Wednesday with another two fixtures on the programme. The action begins in Portugal, where FC Porto hosts Premier League team Arsenal while Napoli meets Barcelona in the focus of this article. Another Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga clash set pulses racing, and you can follow the action live on television and the best live-streaming apps from 20:00 GMT.
The stats sheet shows these teams have met only four times previously, with the Italians yet to get off the mark and score a win. Napoli has no wins from four attempts but has secured a couple of draws, with Barca winning the other pair. The most recent was a six-goal clash in Italy, won by the La Liga legends. Will Napoli finally collect an overdue win against Barcelona, or will the visitors continue to dominate this fixture? Our team previews.
Napoli finished in the Serie A prize places last season and, as a result, appeared in Champions League Group C alongside La Liga runners-up Real Madrid, Sporting Braga, and FC Union Berlin. As expected, the table was a two-horse race for pole position, which Madrid won thanks to an impressive six-game winning streak. Napoli finished as the best of the rest, with their stats showing three wins, one draw, and two defeats, scoring ten goals and conceding nine, ending six points clear of Braga in third.
Napoli has impressed in this competition but hasn’t given fans as much reason to cheer in their domestic campaign, with the home team currently sitting down in ninth place in Serie A, miles off the prizes. It has been a dreadful season for a recent winner of this division. Unless they win the Champions League trophy this season, Napoli is unlikely to be playing in the tournament next term, which will hurt them financially and could have a lasting effect.
Barcelona won Group H ahead of runners-up FC Porto, third-placed Shakhtar Donetsk, who dropped into the Europa League, and Royal Antwerp, who were eliminated from European football for another season. Barca’s pool stats showed four wins against no draws and a pair of defeats, scoring a dozen goals and conceding six. It was enough to see them progress as pool winners, but there’s more to come from the visitors.
Bet hereBarcelona may have caught the eye in Europe, but, like their hosts, they haven’t been anywhere near as impressive when playing La Liga football. Barcelona won the title last season ahead of Real Madrid, and many Spanish football followers expected more of the same this season, but they’ve surrendered the top spot to Blancos. Madrid is at the top of the league, with Girona in second place and Barca in third place.
Napoli is the home team, and they impressed us in the group stages of this competition, progressing to the silver medal position without encountering too much resistance. They’ll enjoy the backing of the home support but know they must make it count, as failing to win at home will see them head to Camp Nou chasing a victory, and that’s far from ideal.
Barcelona won their Champions League group and have been performing better than their opponents domestically. The visitors boast the better recent form of the two teams involved here, and if Barca is at its best, they should secure an invaluable away win to put them in the driving seat ahead of the return leg.
The pre-match betting odds are available for this contest, and you can make predictions on the Napoli vs Barcelona game if you’re a member of 22Bet. Simply use the website or mobile site to pick sides and gamble on the betting odds. You’ll find a home win for Napoli trading at 2.67 or an away win for Barcelona at 2.63. Can’t split them? The draw is 3.53.
In addition to the match-winner betting odds, 22Bet offers all new and existing customers a wide range of specials. These include both teams to score, handicap, total goals, half-time/full-time, anytime scorer, and more. Browse the stats, check the form, and make your predictions.
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