Europa League: Barca Head for a Shootout in Naples

Napoli vs Barcelona

It sounds more like a Champions League clash than Europa League, but Napoli vs Barcelona is the match of the week in Europe’s second tier competition, and the Diego Maradona Stadium in Naples will be bouncing with the tie delicately balanced.

Last week the honours were shared at the Camp Nou as Piotr Zielinski’s first half strike was cancelled out by Barca’s Ferran Torres, and now the two European giants are ready to fight to the death.  

The latest Europa League 2022 betting odds have Barca at 11.00 to win the trophy (ranked fourth) with Napoli at 13.00 (sixth). Just take a look at the odds on Friday morning and I predict the winner of this tie will be heading the list or very close.   

Talking Points

Azzurri looking for a spark

Napoli’s 1-1 result with Barcelona was sandwiched between two league draws with the same score-line, at home to Inter Milan and then away to Cagliari and those points have left the Azzurri in third place in a three way tussle at the top of Serie A. The two Milan clubs are out in front and a resurgent Juventus are coming into view in the rear view mirror, so the 2022 Scudetto looks certain to go down to the wire.

Napoli, along with AC Milan, had an electric start to the 2021/22 campaign but a horrific injury to striker Victor Osimhen in November seemed to stall the Azzurri’s charge. He clashed with Inter defender Milan Skriniar and the collision left the Nigerian forward with multiple facial fractures. His rehabilitation has been painful, the injury requiring six plaques and 18 screws but Osimhen has made a return, and he scored the 87^th minute equaliser which gave Napoli a point in Cagliari.    

Head coach Luciano Spalletti will hope the big man can spark a second wave of wins for Napoli and, with captain Lorenzo Insigne always a 100 per cent performer, he scored the goal in his team’s recent draw with Inter, he always has a chance. Insigne plays a pivotal role in Napoli’s attack but no one player can lift them to greater heights and Insigne has the experience of Dries Mertens and the 6ft 3in striker Andrea Petagna as dangerous attacking colleagues.

Another 1-1 may be enough, but Napoli fans would love to see this game off in 90 minutes.       

New look Barca have a bounce

Barcelona head coach Xavi moved cleverly in the January transfer window, bringing in Torres and Adama Traore to add pace and trickery to his forward line, and the third new recruit, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, starred in a 4-1 win away to Valencia at the weekend, a result which cemented the Blaugrana’s fourth place in La Liga. That is the absolute minimum Xavi expects and he’ll be delighted how his new men have settled in. The former Arsenal striker and captain looked back to his best as he scored two first half goals and completed his hat-trick in the second half to take the game away from Los Ches. It was the Gabon star’s first goals since October and if he can find his previously prolific form then the good times could be on the way back for the Catalans. Torres has already made an impact scoring goals and making assists while Traore’s electric pace adds another dimension.  

And with the excitement around the new recruits breathing life into the Blaugrana’s season nobody in Naples will forget the influence of Barca captain Sergio Busquets; the Spain midfielder is a powerful character… and he has seen it all before.

History

The head to heads have favoured Barcelona who have won four of the previous seven meetings while the Azzurri have picked up one win and two draws.

In terms of recent form, both teams have won three of the last six, Barca are five unbeaten while Napoli are six games without a loss, but the contrasting fortunes they had at the weekend tips the balance slightly in favour of the La Liga side.     

Betting Tip

	Napoli vs Barcelona	Barcelona Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 1.83
	February 25, 04:00 (GMT+8)

Either of these two teams going out of the competition would be big Europa League 2022 news so their fans will be bracing themselves for a night of high tension.  At a SBOTOP price of 2.43 the Blaugrana are marginal favourites to win in 90 minutes with their hosts at 2.70 and the draw at 3.06, and the way they played in Valencia leads me to believe Barca are ready for another big trip. Napoli will be a tough nut to crack so I’m going for a Draw no Bet option, and if you favour the Azzurri then the price is a little longer at odds of 2.05.

 

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