Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview

The second leg of the Round of 16 is almost upon us, with Barcelona facing Napoli in one of the most exciting fixtures. The game is set to kick off on Tuesday the 12th of March at 20:00 GMT at the Camp Nou Stadium. Continue reading to learn more about the match in our Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview.

An Introduction to our Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview

Going into the fixture, Barcelona are seen as the favorites to advance through to the quarterfinals of the competition. However, they will certainly have their work cut out for them, as the previous game ended as a 1-1 draw in Italy, after a late equalizer from Victor Osimhen.

Before reviewing the most popular betting markets for the UEFA Champions League match, it may be worthwhile checking out both teams’ forms, recent matches, and other useful tidbits of information. Barcelona may be the bookie’s favorite to win the match, but advancing to the next round is an entirely different scenario. Keep reading as we look at the recent form of both teams before analyzing their head-to-head records.

Barcelona Form

A draw away in Italy was not a bad result for Barcelona by any means. The Spanish club took the lead through a Robert Lewandowski strike in the second half. However, towards the end of the match, Napoli managed to score an equalizing goal through their Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen.

During the group stage, Barcelona qualified in first place, winning four of their six matches. The team were fortunate to finish first, as their head to head record against Porto was greater. Porto was in the same group and had the same number of points but lost home and away against Barcelona. Below, we review Barcelona’s form in Europe this season:

• Barcelona vs Royal Antwerp – 5:0 Win
• Porto vs Barcelona – 0:1 Loss
• Barcelona vs Shakhtar – 2:1 Win
• Shakhtar vs Barcelona – 1:0 Loss
• Barcelona vs Porto – 2:1 Win
• Royal Antwerp vs Barcelona – 3:2 Loss
• Napoli vs Barcelona – 1:1 Draw

In all competitions, Barcelona have been impressive since the start of 2024. Their recent form in all comps is:

• Alaves vs Barcelona – 1:3 Win
• Barcelona vs Granada – 3:3 Draw
• Celta vs Barcelona – 1:2 Win
• Napoli vs Barcelona – 1:1 Draw
• Barcelona vs Getafe – 4:0 Win

Napoli Form

Much like Barcelona, Napoli have also been impressive this season. The late equalizer against the Spanish club has displayed just why Napoli is a team that always seems to appear in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. Despite not having the pulling power of most big clubs, Napoli is still one of the most consistent teams represented in the UEFA Champions League.

During the group stage, Napoli was drawn with the likes of Real Madrid, Union Berlin and Braga. The team managed to win three of their six group stage matches, drawing once and losing twice. The team performed well but have not been able to replicate the form that lead them to the Serie A championship last season. In Europe, Napoli has played the following games:

• Braga vs Napoli – 1:2 Win
• Napoli vs Real Madrid – 2:3 Loss
• Union Berlin vs Napoli – 0:1 Win
• Napoli vs Union Berlin – 1:1 Draw
• Real Madrid vs Napoli – 4:2 Loss
• Napoli vs Braga – 2:0 Win
• Napoli vs Barcelona – 1:1 Draw

In all competitions, Napoli has also been impressive. Their form in all comps is:

• Milan vs Napoli – 1:0 Loss
• Napoli vs Genoa – 1:1 Draw
• Napoli vs Barcelona – 1:1 Draw
• Cagliari vs Napoli – 1:1 Draw
• Sassuolo vs Napoli – 1:6 Win

Head to Head

Below, we review the head to head record of matches played between the two clubs.

• Napoli drew Barcelona 1:1 in Italy this season
• Barcelona defeated Napoli 2:4 away from home in February 2022
• Napoli drew Barcelona 1:1 at home in February 2022
• Barcelona lost at home to Napoli in a 2014 friendly
• Napoli have never defeated Barcelona in a competitive European fixture

Xavi on the Hunt for European Glory?

Barcelona are one of the most interesting teams in the UEFA Champions League this season. They have a young team that is full of talent, including veterans Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. The team, managed by former Barcelona player and legendary midfielder, Xavi, will be hoping to replicate some of the fine form that managed to clinch them the La Liga title last season. Xavi has already announced that he will be stepping down from the Barcelona managerial job come the end of the season.

There are many question marks surrounding the rest of the team. As mentioned before, it is a young team with the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Joao Felix, Ferran Torres, and talented 16-year-old forward Lamine Yamal. Moreover, the team, on paper, has an abundance of talent most of which is found inside the boots of attacking full-back Joao Cancelo. As Barcelona prepare for a challenging fixture in the Nou Camp, they can feel hard done by a draw, as they were the better team on the pitch aside from the final 30 minutes.

Xavi will be hoping his team can advance to the quarterfinals of the competition. It would be a statement win, especially as the team has become so poor since the departure of Lionel Messi. If Xavi advances through the Round of 16, he will be the first to do so since Messi’s departure. Defeating Napoli at the Nou Camp is not the toughest challenge they will have to face but it certainly has its difficulties. The teams are level as we look towards the second leg.

Napoli to Cause an Upset?

As impressive as they are, Barcelona are not invincible. Napoli will feel they have more than enough to go to Spain and play neck to neck against Barcelona. The team were impressive in the final 30 minutes of the fixture, creating chance after chance before eventually scoring through their main player, Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian centre forward will not be able to do it alone. He will have to have contributions from the rest of the team.

Last season, the biggest contributors to the team were Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. However, the Georgian forward is failing to live up to the high form and expectation that brought him so much success last season. He is firing blanks on all fronts, with a reduced output of goals and assists. The Georgian winger was linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of last season, a move that he has described as ‘a dream’. However, with the form that he is displaying at the minute, he has no chance of completing his dreams and playing for Real Madrid.

Napoli will be hopeful that Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen can find some more power in the bank and start turning it on against Barcelona. If the team starts to perform well, they can ultimately knock out the Spanish club. This would be a statement win and would propel Napoli into the quarterfinals of the competition for the second season running.

Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview

According to online sportsbook sites in the UK, Barcelona is seen as the favorite to win the tie. This does not necessarily mean that they will win it, but their odds of doing so are lower than the odds of an unlikely Napoli away win.

There are plenty of betting sites offering numerous markets for the upcoming UEFA Champions League match. However, the best in the business is BC.GAME Sportsbook. It is a cryptocurrency bookmaker, meaning you can play anonymously and access the betting markets from anywhere in the world, using a trusted VPN. Below, the betting odds provided are taken from BC.GAME Sportsbook.

Betting Odds

• Barcelona to Win – 1.65
• Napoli to Win – 5
• Draw – 3.95
• Barcelona to Qualify – 1.31
• Napoli to Qualify – 3.3
• Barcelona to Win or Draw – 1.11
• Napoli to Win or Draw – 2.14
• Barcelona or Napoli to Win – 1.19
• Both Teams to Score Yes – 1.7
• Both Teams to Score No – 2.06
• Both Teams to Score and Barcelona to Win – 3.25
• Both Teams to Score and Napoli to Win – 9

Player Props

One of the many impressive features of BC.GAME Sportsbook is the ability to place various player props. This means if you do not want to bet on teams to win or the number of goals, you can simply follow the action by betting on players. Popular player prop markets include players scoring, assisting, committing a foul, or to be booked. Below, we take a look at the most popular player props to follow.

Barcelona

The most likely player to score for Barcelona is Lamine Yamal. A bet on Yamal to score vs Napoli would almost be a sure thing. A bet on Joao Cancelo to assist vs Napoli is also a likely winner. Lastly, a bet on Frenkie de Jong to be booked vs Napoli could be an interesting wager.

Napoli

Much like Barcelona, Napoli also has their dangerous men. A bet on Victor Osimhen to score vs Barcelona would be a good wager. Likewise, a bet on Kvaratskhelia to assist vs Barcelona would not be a bad shout. The player that is most likely to be booked vs Barcelona is Giovanni Di Lorenzo. A bet on Lorenzo to receive a booking vs Barcelona is an almost guaranteed winner.

The Bottom Line

To conclude our Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview, we hope that you have found a list of betting markets that suit your personal preferences. The player prop markets are offered by BC.GAME Sportsbook is especially one to follow. To learn more about BC.GAME Sportsbook review, check out the link to the popular online sportsbook site.

Click here to try the best odds at BC.GAME Sportsbook