Barcelona - Napoli predictions and free betting tips [12/03/2024]

On Tuesday, 12th March, as part of the return match of the Champions League ⅛ finals, "Barcelona" will host "Napoli" on their pitch. The Catalans barely defeated "Mallorca" last Friday with a score of 1-0, while the white-blues peacefully settled with "Torino" (1:1) and fell even further behind the European Cup zone. 

Predicted Lineups

"Barcelona": Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Martinez, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix.
"Napoli": Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Traore; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia. 

Stadium

The showdown will take place in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium.   

"Barcelona"

Funny as it sounds, but after Xavi's announcement of his departure on January 27th, "Barca" remains unbeaten both in the championship and in the Champions League, and most importantly, Robert Lewandowski has regained his previous form. Whether this is a coincidence or the natural result of productive training is unclear, but the fact remains: the Catalans have not lost in six consecutive matches in all competitions, claiming four victories with two draws.

Going back in the race for second place in La Liga, "Barcelona" is only one point behind "Girona": last Friday, the Catalan club gave it a hard time to beat "Mallorca" with a score of 1:0 thanks to Lamine Yamal's goal in the second half. It is also worth noting that "Blaugrana" advanced to the Champions league's playoffs for the first time in the last three years - the previous two continental campaigns ended with exits in the group stages. Another fact that will please the hosts' fans: when the blaugranes did not lose away in the first play-off match of the Champions League, they moved on in 20 of the previous 21 cases. 

"Napoli"

In a match three weeks ago, "Napoli," with the support of its fans, managed to level the score on the board thanks to Victor Osimhen but could not snatch victory. Like "Blaugrana", the Southerners are having a hard season after winning the country's championship title, and are currently outside the European Cup zone in the Serie A standings (7th place). Prior to the second leg of the Champions League, the visitors drew with "Torino" at home (1:1), despite previously stylishly beating "Sassuolo" (1:6) and "Juventus" (2:1).

Last autumn, the white-blues advanced to the playoffs from a fairly equal CL, which also included Real Madrid (1st place), "Braga" (3rd place) and "Union Berlin" (4th place). This is despite the coaching shuffle: after Rudy Garcia, who replaced Luciano Spalletti last summer, Walter Mazzarri was also fired - the team is now managed by Francesco Calzone. Napoli's results away cause great concern for the fans: the guests have only won once away from home in the last eight matches in all tournaments. 

Head To Head

Out of 9 head-to-head meetings, the Neapolitans have only won once. In 2022, these clubs met in the 1/16 finals of the Europa League, and then the Catalans moved on (5:3 on aggregate of two matches).  

Match Prediction "Barcelona" - "Napoli"

Both clubs are failing the current campaign in national championships, although "Barca's" results are slightly better than Napoli's. However, both have remained undefeated over the past month - isn't that a reason to bet on a draw in the return match?      

Total Score Prediction

"Barca" has been faithfully scoring several goals per match throughout the season, while there is chaos and confusion in defense. Given the Catalans' personnel losses in the middle of the field, we boldly place a bet on "Both Will Score".                            

Corner Prediction

With the support of home fans, "Barca" will play the first number and will have more possession - it is reasonable to bet on a victory for the blaugranes at corners.                                                            

Yellow Card Prediction

In all four previous head-to-head meetings, these teams did not earn more than 4 yellow cards in total - I bet on the continuation of this trend now.                                                           

Score Prediction

I'll bet on the exact score of 1:1