On Tuesday, Lionel Messi and Barcelona battle Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 battle. As we might expect Messi and Barca are favorites. But Napoli isn’t the massive underdog that so many thought they might be. Check out Champions League odds, a preview, and a free pick for Barcelona vs Napoli!
Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Odds & Pick
- When: Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 3:00 pm ET
- Where: Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Campania, Italy
- Live Stream: Fubo TV
- Moneyline Odds: Napoli +212 / Barcelona +112 / Draw +249 / Over/Under Total Odds: 2 ¾
Why Napoli is a good bet +212
Napoli is in excellent form. They’ve gone 4-1 SU in their last 5. One of their biggest wins happened a couple of weeks ago. Facing Inter Milan in the Italian Coppa Italia, Napoli beat their rivals. Fabian Ruiz scored the lone goal in the match. There’s a case to be made that Napoli has played better than Barcelona in recent weeks. The Italian Serie A squad won’t be intimidated by one of the best teams in La Liga.
Form Last 5
- W – 2-1 vs Brescia
- W – 1-0 vs Cagliari
- W – 1-0 vs Internazionale
- L – 3-2 vs Lecce
- W – 4-2 vs Sampdoria
Expected Line-Up
- Ospina
- Maksimovic
- Manolas
- Rui
- Di Lorenzo
- Demme
- Elmas
- Ruiz
- Mertens
- Insigne
- Politano
Why Barcelona is a good bet +112
It took a few games, but it seems like Barcelona is back on track. On Jan. 13, Barca’s brass replaced Ernesto Valverde with former Betis coach Quique Setien. At first, the switch didn’t pay off. Valencia beat Barcelona 2-0 on Jan. 25. But Setien’s adjustments for Barcelona’s match against Eibar showed that this squad is ready to roll. Baca squashed Eibar 5-0. It was a massive beat down. Now that Messi and his mates have confidence in Setien’s strategies, Barcelona could get a big lead over Napoli in the Champions League 2-match aggregate.
Form Last 5
- W – 5-0 vs Eibar
- W – 2-1 vs Getafe
- W – 3-2 vs Real Betis
- L – 1-0 vs Atletico Bilbao
- W – 2-1 vs Levante
Expected Line-Up
- ter Stegen
- Lenglet
- Pique
- Firpo
- Semedo
- Busquets
- Arthur
- Rakitic
- Griezmann
- Vidal
- Messi
Barcelona vs Napoli Champions League Soccer Final Betting Analysis
Barcelona looked fantastic thumping Eibar. But Napoli is a much different team. This season, Napoli hasn’t stepped it up in Italian Serie A. The Champions League is their lone chance to do something special.
They could because they’re consistent. Like the Italian National Team, Napoli plays a conservative game. They lean on their excellent defense while waiting for the perfect time to counter. That could work in Napoli’s favor on Tuesday.
Setien unleashed his players in Barca’s last. Barcelona’s aggressiveness figures to hurt them in this match. Napoli will hang back and then when the perfect time presents itself, strike for a goal. At that point, Barca must play catchup. Back Napoli.
Champions League Soccer Pick: Napoli +212
