Barcelona vs Napoli Match Analysis & Prediction
12/03/2024 11:00 pm
With their Champions League last-16 tie finely balanced after the first leg, Spanish champions Barcelona and their Italian counterparts Napoli meet at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday.
Both sides’ star striker was on target in Naples, where it ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw, setting up a titanic clash in Catalonia.
Barca’s Robert Lewandowski produced a fine finish as the hour mark approached, before the hosts’ main marksman Victor Osimhen equalised on 75 minutes, in his first appearance since returning from the AFCON.
Eliminating Napoli from Europe for the third time in five years would see Barca make a first quarter-final appearance since 2020 – and results since Xavi announced his forthcoming departure suggest they can progress again this season.
Following Friday’s 1-0 victory over Mallorca, Barcelona are unbeaten in eight matches, and despite sustaining a number of injuries, they have kept clean sheets in each of the last three.
When Barcelona have avoided defeat away from home in the first leg of a Champions League tie, they have then gone through on 20 out of 21 previous occasions, but they have not won any of their last four knockout matches since beating Napoli in the Maradona derby four years ago.
Meanwhile, Napoli are burdened by a history of failing to recover from first-leg setbacks in UEFA competition, having been eliminated the last 11 times they have failed to take a lead into an away leg.
Although still in danger of missing out on European qualification, Napoli are unbeaten in five matches since Francesco Calzona took the reigns just days before last month’s first leg, and between draws with Cagliari and Torino they thrashed Sassuolo 6-1 and overcame ailing Juventus at Stadio Maradona.
Napoli have also won five of their eight Champions League away matches since the start of last season – as many as in the previous 21 – and should not be underestimated, despite missing the spark that made Luciano Spalletti’s side so special.
Barcelona vs. Napoli Head to head
In the nine previous meetings between these two teams, Barcelona have claimed five victories while Napoli have won one, and they have drawn in three. Napoli have scored eight goals and conceded 21 in the process.
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25/02/2020Napoli1Barcelona1Champions League
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08/08/2020Barcelona3Napoli1Champions League
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17/02/2022Barcelona1Napoli1Europa League
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24/02/2022Napoli2Barcelona4Europa League
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21/02/2024Napoli1Barcelona1Champions League
Barcelona Team News
Frenkie De Jong and Pedri will both be absent from the Barcelona starting XI on Tuesday night due to ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.
ACL victim Gavi is already unavailable, so Andreas Christensen and Ilkay Gundogan may be joined by Fermin Lopez in a makeshift midfield.
Barcelona's Last 5 Matches
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17/02/2024Celta Vigo1Barcelona2La Liga
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21/02/2024Napoli1Barcelona1Champions League
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24/02/2024Barcelona4Getafe0La Liga
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03/03/2024Athletic Bilbao0Barcelona0La Liga
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08/03/2024Barcelona1Mallorca0La Liga
Napoli Team News
Centre-back Amir Rrahmani limped off against Juventus with a similar issue and was an unused substitute on Friday, so Leo Ostigard stands ready to deputise if required.
Piotr Zialinski must be replaced in midfield, as he was not registered for this round of the competition after refusing to sign a new contract.
Napoli's Last 5 Matches
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21/02/2024Napoli1Barcelona1Champions League
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25/02/2024Cagliari1Napoli1Serie A
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28/02/2024Sassuolo1Napoli6Serie A
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03/03/2024Napoli2Juventus1Serie A
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08/03/2024Napoli1Torino1Serie A
Barcelona vs. Napoli: Odds and Predictions
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