Barcelona vs Napoli predictions: Champions League tips and odds
Our betting expert has three Barcelona vs Napoli tips for tonight’s Champions League round-of-16 second leg at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys (8pm kick-off) with the aggregate 1-1 after the first leg. Scroll down for the analysis behind his selections.
Barcelona vs Napoli betting tips
- Barcelona to win and both teams to score @ 13/5 with Betfair
- Ilkay Gundogan to score or assist @ 11/5 with Betfair
- Bet builder: over 2.5 goals, Barcelona to receive most cards and Robert Lewandowski to score @ 11/2 with Betfair
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Home advantage to Catalonia
Barcelona restricted Napoli to only six shots in the first leg in Italy but tonight’s clash could be more open given the hosts’ injury problems in midfield.
Gavi is a long-term absentee and Barça are also likely to be missing Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, boosting the visitors’ hopes of qualifying for the last eight.
Both teams have scored in all five of Napoli’s games under Francesco Calzona, including a 6-1 drubbing of Sassuolo and a 2-1 win over Juventus, and the Italian outfit are capable of getting on the scoreboard again.
Barça have kept clean sheets in their previous three league matches but they were involved in plenty of high-scoring clashes earlier in the year, losing 4-1 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and 4-2 to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey.
Their hopes of retaining the league title were hampered by a 5-3 loss to Villarreal and 3-3 draw with Granada, both games in Catalonia, but they won all three of their home matches in the Champions League group stage.
The last two of those victories, against Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto, were by a 2-1 scoreline and backing a Barça win with both teams scoring appeals against a talented but flaky Napoli side.
Barcelona vs Napoli tip 1: Barcelona to win and both teams to score @ 13/5 with Betfair
Gundogan worth a shot
The Catalans need their senior men to step up in the second leg and Ilkay Gundogan, a Champions League winner with Manchester City last season, could have a huge role to play.
He is likely to start alongside Andreas Christensen and Fermin Lopez in an unfamiliar-looking midfield but he is a tempting bet to score or assist in the second leg.
The Germany international had four shots in Naples, two of them on target, and has contributed three assists in six Champions League matches this term.
Gundogan has also set up six goals in La Liga and in two of his past seven league starts he has contributed both a goal and an assist.
Barcelona vs Napoli tip 2: Ilkay Gundogan to score or assist @ 11/5 with Betfair
Lewandowski features in bet builder
The first leg of this compelling tie ended 1-1 but Barça showed plenty of attacking endeavour and seven of their previous nine Champions League matches had featured over 2.5 goals.
Napoli have kept only one clean sheet in their previous 10 games in all competitions so a high-scoring return leg is expected, and Barcelona to receive more cards is worth adding to the bet builder.
The Italians have picked up only 11 bookings in seven Champions League matches this season and Barça had three cautions to their hosts’ none in Naples.
While the visitors will be looking to Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen for attacking inspiration, Barça’s main man Robert Lewandowski should be backed to add to his goal tally.
The prolific Pole scored a smartly taken opener at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and has found the net four times in his past five starts in La Liga.
Barcelona vs Napoli tip 3: Bet builder: over 2.5 goals, Barcelona to receive most cards and Robert Lewandowski to score @ 11/2 with Betfair
Barcelona vs Napoli odds
Odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.
