Europe UEFA Champions League 25-26. February 2020

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[spkutano]

Napoli vs Barcelona Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Napoli:
Ospina; Lorenzo, Manolas, Maksimovic, Rui; Ruiz, Demme, Elmas; Politano, Mertens, Insigne

Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Firpo; De Jong, Busquets, Arthur; Vidal, Messi, Griezmann

Napoli host Barcelona at Stadio San Paolo in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. I expect an interesting match and I think there will be goals on both sides. Napoli finished as second in Group E, behind Liverpool. The Vesuvians ended unbeaten with three wins and three draws. These results should be respected as Napoli were in the same group with the Champions League winners Liverpool. The Italians showed their class by beating the Reds at home and drawing at Anfield. Considering this fact, I think they could fight with Barcelona. Even more, the actual form is very good. The Partenopei have three victories across all competitions. Napoli managed to beat Cagliari and Brescia in Serie A, as well as Inter in the first-leg match of the Coppa Italia. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent, while the players confidence is high. Coach Gennaro Gattuso is doing a solid job, but this is his debut in the Champions League as the club were lead by Carlo Ancelotti in all six matches of the group stage. Gattuso has four injury worries ahead of this game. Kevin Malcuit is definitely sidelined, while Faouzi Ghoulam, Elseid Hysaj and Kalidou Koulibaly are rated as doubtful. The later has only played one match in the last two months and I believe Gattuso won't risk with him. David Ospina and Alex Meret are battling for a starting place at goalkeeping position.

Barcelona topped the group that also consisted Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague. The Catalans had four wins and two draws. Nevertheless, coach Valverde was sacked, just as Ancelotti. This will be a Champions League debut for new boss Quique Setien too. He didn't start according to his expectations, though the results are much better now. Barca have recorded seven wins in the last nine matches and the new coach isn't under pressure anymore. The last weekend was particularly good for Barca. Their biggest enemy Real Madrid suffered a narrow defeat at Levante, while the Blaugrana outplayed Eibar. They won 5:0 at Camp Nou mainly thanks to Lionel Messi. The Argentinian was the key name in the game as he netted four goals. He scored a brilliant first goal in the 14th minute. The second was scored in the 37th minute, while the third came just three minutes later. Coach Setien decided to take Griezmann off to keep him fresh for this match and introduced Braithwaite for his debut. The new acquisition had a "dream debut" as his two passes across goal gave Messi his fourth and Arthur Melo his first goal. After the match Braithwaite joked he won't wash the clothes after Messi hugged him. The former Leganes striker is ineligible to play in the Champions League, while few more are injured - Luis Suarez, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembele.

Napoli vs Barcelona Prediction:

I expect both teams to score. Napoli have six victories in the last seven matches in all competitions. They managed to beat Inter and Juventus in that run. Barcelona, meanwhile, are between the best European sides. Messi is in terrific form, he scored four goals against Eibar during the weekend. The players confidence is high in both teams, so I expect an efficient match.

Napoli vs Barcelona Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.68 with Pinnacle

 

[betcatalog]

Interesting duel with no clear favorites, where qualification will reasonably be judged in Barcelona. Both teams are in good shape and can give us a nice game. Barcelona is definitely a favorite, but it won't be an easy task. I expect an open game with goals and spectacle, both teams scoring is quite possible
SSC NAPOLI vs FC BARCELONA @@ Both team to score, odds 1.60

Interesting duel, with the two clubs starting from a different starting point. They have shown very good performance in the group matches, with aggressive virtues, especially the Germans were throwing fires. At the same time, they have defensive weaknesses and in many cases cannot keep their homes intact. I believe we have goals and final efforts and I will bet on many goals
CHELSEA FC vs FC BAYERN MUNICH @@ Both team to score, odds 1.60

 

[spkutano]

Lyon vs Juventus Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Lyon:
Lopes; Tete, Andersen, Denayer, Marcal; Tousart, Mendes; Traore, Aouar, Terrier; Dembele

Juventus:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro; Ramsey, Bentancur, Matuidi; Cuadrado, Dybala, Ronaldo

Lyon host Juventus in their Champions League Round of 16 first-leg tie at Groupama Stadium. The Italians are favorites, but the hosts will try to impress as they have nothing to lose. Lyon are currently sitting in seventh position in Ligue 1, so the Europe looks like a perfect opportunity for Rudi Garcia's men. Despite the fact they are not playing at best level domestically, Lyon are definitely capable of beating anyone on their day, especially at home. The French outfit finished second in Group G, behind RB Leipzig. They had two victories, two draws and two defeats, collecting eight points. Lyon needed some late drama on the final day to secure their knock-out place. After trailing 2:0 to RB Leipzig, Lyon scored twice in the second half to get the crucial point. The actual form is good, Lyon are unbeaten on the last three matches across all competitions. First they obtained an 1:0 cup victory over Marseille, then played an 1:1 draw with Strasbourg and finally beat Metz with 2:0. The defense look much better now, conceding just one goal in these three matches. But Garcia will be missing his key striker Memphis Depay who ruptured his cruciate ligaments in December. His absence is a big handicap. Youssouf Kone, Jeff Reine-Adelaïde and Oumar Solet are also sidelined,while right-back Rafael is rated as doubtful.

Juventus secured the first place in a group that also consisted Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow. The Old Lady had five victories and just one draw in six matches. They are looking for a fourth consecutive quarter-finals in the Champions League. The Italian giants are between the favorites to win the European most prestigious competition. Everything less than trophy in Europe will be considered as failure. Coach Maurizio Sarri is feeling big pressure following the inconsistent domestic results in the last period. He was brought in to give the already dominant Juventus a new dimension and to win the Champions League. It is clear this match is extremely important for Sarri. A failure in the Champions League will additionally complicate the matters. However, the Bianconeri are in mini series of two consecutive victories. They beat Brescia with 2:0 and Spal with 2:1. Cristiano Ronaldo played in excellent form at the moment, scoring in each of his last nine appearances. Sarri will be missing the injured Sami Khedira, Merih Demiral and Douglas Costa, while Miralem Pjanic is rated as doubtful. Leonardo Bonucci, who skipped the game with SPAL due to suspension, is expected to start here.

Lyon vs Juventus Prediction:

I expect an interesting match in France. Lyon play at home and they will try to upset the favorites. But coach Garcia is missing the key player Memphis Depay through injury. On contrary, Juve will come to France with in-form Cristiano Ronaldo. The 35-year-old is motivated to win another Champions League trophy with a third different club. CR7 play in excellent form and I think he is a player able to make a difference in this game.

Lyon vs Juventus Pick: Juventus to win @ 1.95 with Unibet

 

[predictionstips]

Lyon vs Juventus Prediction

• Olympique Lyonnais will look to build momentum on their win against Metz as they face Juventus. That was their first win in 5 league games. They still sit 7th in Ligue 1 but only 6 points behind the 3rd placers to be fair. Their league record at home is underwhelming though as they've only won 4 games from 12. Lyon is one of only two teams from the group stage of Champions League who advanced with a single-digit point, with the other one being Atalanta.
• Juventus ended the Champions League with an unblemished record. They drew their first game against Atletico Madrid, but won all the remaining games. Cristiano Ronaldo is in his usual scoring tear. The 35-year old Portuguese already has 25 goals in all competitions and he will be looking to add more when they face Lyon.
• With a poor record at home, the defense of Lyon will be too much for the firepower of the Italian giants. Juventus to win is what we're tipping.

TIP: Juventus -0.5


Real Madrid vs Man City Prediction

• Real Madrid host Man City in the first leg, and unbelievably are underdogs at home! Real only lost their second game of the season last weekend, and are now 2pts off Barcelona at the top of the table, but they're still unbeaten at home.
• Man City are also 2nd in their own league, but they have no hope of winning the title this year, meaning the Champions League, which they are actually banned from for the next 2 seasons, is their biggest chance of major silverware this season.
• English sides have not had a great record so far, with both Liverpool and Tottenham losing last week. Man City are one of the favourites for the tournament, but I can see them struggling to take a lead back for the home leg.

TIP: Real Madrid +0.25

 

[spkutano]

Napoli vs Barcelona Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.68 with Pinnacle

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