Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Napoli
Match Time & Date:
21/02/2024
21:00
Prediction: 1-1
Barcelona
Expect an electrifying atmosphere at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona when Napoli and Barcelona go head to head in an eagerly-awaited Champions League game. The Neapolitans dropped two points in a 1-1 draw with Genoa at the weekend, but the good news for Walter Mazzarri is that key attacker Victor Osimhen is back from international duty. There are no fresh injury worries in the home team ahead of Wednesday’s showdown.
Barca, on the other hand, survived Celta Vigo at the weekend, but beating Napoli at packed “Diego Maradona” is easier said than done. Taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. As for the Catalan outfit, experienced midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is pushing for a start as well as Brazil winger Raphinha, while all Marcos Alonso, Gavi, Joao Felix, Sergi Roberto, Ferran Torres, and Alejandro Balde are out of contention with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Robert Lewandowski):
After scoring 36 goals in 59 league games for Znicz Pruskow, Robert Lewandowski joined Lech Poznan in June, 2008. The 184-cm-tall attacker scored 18 goals in 28 appearances for the club in the 2009/2010 Ekstraklasa campaign and during the season he was on Borussia Dortmund’s radar.
The Polish forward signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga side in June, 2010 and he quickly established himself as the team’s key attacker. Lewandowski was producing excellent performances with the Millionaires between 2010 and 2014 and it has to be noted that he won two Bundesliga trophies with the club (2010/2011, 2011/2012). He participated in the 2012/2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund, but the Millionaires were beaten by fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the title game.
However, he betrayed Borussia Dortmund fans in 2014 as he signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants. Lewandowski impressed in the 2016/2017 Bundesliga campaign as he scored 30 goals in 32 league games for Pep Guardiola’s troops. The Polish footballer represented his homeland at Euro 2016 in France and he scored one goal at the showpiece tournament in France.
Highlighted Team (Napoli):
SSC Napoli is an Italian football club from the city of Naples which is playing currently in the Serie A. The club was founded officially in 1926 but the history from Napoli reaches back to 1904 with the club Naples Foot-Ball & Cricket Club that fused with Internazionale Napoli and was called FBC Internaples.
After 4 seasons the club changed its name to SSC Napoli (Societa Sportiva Calcio).
In the end of the eighties Napoli had the biggest success in the club history with the Argentinian legend Diego Maradona. Diego Maradona was able to win the league title twice, the national cup and the UEFA cup. The moment Maradona left the club Napoli got into big financial trouble.
In 2004 the local club was bankrupt. Despite the help of financial investors the club got regulated to the Serie C. After 6 years of playing in lower divisions Napoli managed to get back in the Serie A in season 2007/2008. Famous players that played for the club from Naples are: Maradona, Zola, Cavani, Blanc, Di Canio, Cannavaro.
