Napoli vs Barcelona predictions: Free-scoring Barca to test new Napoli chief
- Napoli have failed to win four of their last five matches
- Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Celta was their seventh straight away game scoring at least twice
- Recommended bet: Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score
Napoli’s grip on the scudetto has gone and Barcelona are all but out of sight in the fight to retain their LaLiga crown, so this last-16 tie in the Champions League is critical for both clubs.
Napoli go into it in the worse shape having failed to win four of their last five, a run which cost head coach Walter Mazzarri his job on Monday.
But there is also upheaval at the Camp Nou with Barca boss Xavi set to quit in the summer, and the form of the Catalan giants is far from convincing.
Team news
Interim Napoli boss Francesco Calzona will have one full training session with his new team before taking on Barca.
Calzona preferred a 4-3-3 set-up with Slovakia, where he has been head coach since 2022.
Reports state star striker Victor Osimhen is available but not fully fit.
Joao Felix could make the bench for Barca, though Ferran Torres remains sidelined.
The stats
Napoli have failed to win eight of their last 11 matches. They have scored just one first-half goal in their last 11 Serie A matches.
The Italian champions conceded nine goals in the group stage – only PSV and RB Leipzig of the 16 qualifiers conceded more.
Barca have found the net in each of their last 20 competitive matches and scored at least twice in each of their last seven away games.
Seventeen-goal Robert Lewandowski has found the net in each of his last three matches.
Prediction
Inconsistent Barcelona have the firepower to trouble any side though recent performances hint at the best bet.
Two weeks ago they drew 3-3 with Granada in a game that was far too open and followed that up by needing an added-time penalty to win 2-1 at Celta.
They score goals, they concede them – their domestic league matches are going at 3.4 goals a game – and while that will always give them a puncher’s chance, it does make them vulnerable.
And Napoli, if they can get quality minutes out of Osimhen, a player they have missed sorely during the Africa Cup of Nations, can exploit vulnerabilities at the heart of Barcelona’s defence.
New Napoli boss Calzona has essentially got a free hit here and has to be positive if the Italians are to have any chance in the return at the Camp Nou. To that end, and given what we know about Xavi’s side, expect plenty of goals.
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