Europa League – Napoli vs FC Barcelona: Betting Preview

The Europa League clash at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Thursday sees SSC Napoli host Barcelona in the second leg of their knockout tie.

The two sides finished all square at 1-1 in the first leg at Camp Nou, leaving SCC Napoli with an away goal advantage. The Partenopei now hope to get the job done at home, but Barcelona have turned a corner under Xavi Hernandez and won’t make it easy.

SSC Napoli have scored an average of 1.9 goals in the last 10 Europa League matches. They managed a total of 19 goals, while also allowing 15 goals against. That is an average of 1.5 goals against per match. They were able to hang on to a clean sheet 1 time in those matches.

In contrast, Barcelona have an ample average of 1.8 goals per game in their last 8 Europa League/UEFA Cup matches. They scored a tolerable 18 goals, while also conceding 5 times. That amounts to an average of 0.5 per game. They kept their opponents from scoring 5 times.

Our tip

Stats and facts for SSC Napoli vs Barcelona in Europa League.

Current form — SSC Napoli vs Barcelona

Having collected 3 points from their previous 3 matches, SSC Napoli are on the lookout for a win again. Against Inter it finished 1-1, before they split the points with Barcelona in a 1-1 draw. In their latest match, they once again had to settle for a single point after drawing 1-1 against Cagliari.

Barcelona look solid currently after going 3 matches unbeaten, which started by drawing 2-2 against Espanyol. They followed that up by sharing the spoils with SSC Napoli in a 1-1 draw, before taking out Valencia in a 1-4 win.

How do the bookies view it?

On paper, it has the look of a very even tie. Barcelona are the slight favorites at odds of 2.60, depending on your preferred betting strategy. The home win currently settles at 2.85, should the hosts manage to defy the bookies’ expectations. A draw ramps up an accumulator with odds of 3.55.

SSC Napoli vs Barcelona – Fixture History

SSC Napoli and Barcelona had to settle for a point each in their most recent Europa League match, which finished with a 1-1 scoreline. Depending on your betting strategy, another draw will no doubt spice up your next accumulator.

In the last 7 meetings of these teams, an advantage was formed on the side of Barcelona, and these matches were also remembered for a large number of goals.

Primary goalscorer

Ahead of their latest Europa League match, both Napoli and Barcelona will be looking for their main strikers. Accordingly, we have listed some of the in-form players who are expected to be getting it on for each team this season.