The UEFA Champions League returns to the fold with another set of matches this week as Napoli lock horns with Xavi’s Barcelona side in an important encounter at the Stadio San Paolo on Wednesday.
Napoli (also known as SSC Napoli) and Barcelona (commonly referred to as Barça or FC Barcelona) meet again 2 years after the 1/16 Final match which Barcelona won 2-4. Napoli will be playing the match after a draw against Genoa last Saturday in Serie A. This match can be a great chance for them to turn to winning ways if they sort out the problems in the defense as they have been conceding goals for 3 consecutive matches now.
Barcelona are approaching the match in a good mood after claiming a 1-2 win in La Liga against Celta Vigo extending their unbeaten streak to 4 matches, however, Barcelona have been performing poorly in defense lately as they have been conceding goals for 10 consecutive away matches now.
Recent Form
Napoli have played a draw with Genoa in their previous match while Barcelona have won Celta Vigo in their previous match. Overall, Napoli have won 9 of their last 20 matches, losing 8 and drawing 3, while Barcelona have won 12 of their last 20 matches, losing 6 and drawing 2.
Napoli have won twice (2-1 against Verona on 4th of February and 3-0 against Fiorentina on 19th of January), lost twice (1-0 against AC Milan on 12th of February and 0-1 against Inter Milan on 23rd of January) and drew twice (1-1 against Genoa on 17th of February and 0-0 against Lazio on 29th of January) in their most recent 6 matches.
Barcelona have won 3 times (1-2 against Celta Vigo on 18th of February, 1-3 against Alaves on 4th of February and 1-0 against Osasuna on 1st of February), lost twice (3-5 against Villarreal on 28th of January and 4-2 against Athletic Bilbao on 25th of January) and drew once (3-3 against Granada CF on 12th of February) in their most recent 6 matches.
Head-to-head
Napoli and Barcelona have met 6 times since August 2019. 2 matches ended in a draw while Barcelona have won 4 times. The most recent match between them took place on February 25, 2022 at the 1/16 Final of Europa League where Barcelona won 2-4. Napoli have scored 6 goals in these 6 head-to-head matches in total while Barcelona have scored 15.