After an initial difficult spell under club legend Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona are in flying form across competitions since January. The club are unbeaten in their last 10 games and have not lost since their Copa del Rey elimination at the hands of Athletic Bilbao.
Having failed to qualify from the group stage, Barca were hard done by a tough draw against Napoli in the Round of 32 in the Europa League. But they breezed passed the Italians following a dominating performance away in Italy as they scored 4 goals in Napoli’s backyard.
For Galatasaray, it has all been about the team’s lack of consistency this season. The Turkish giants started their Super Lig campaign with a string of solid performances but following group stage elimination in the Champions League before the New Year, they have been on a poor slump. With just 2 wins in their last 13 games, they have been struggling to keep a clean sheet since December.
However, they did manage to restrict Barca to a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou and would be hoping to rely on the home support for a famous night against the Blaugrana.
With the second leg now finely poised with all to be played for, betting fans would be eyeing the game with keen interest. Here are some interesting odds and tips for this Europa League clash:
Barca are clear favourites but there’s a catch
Barca remains the clear favourite to win the tie despite the stalemate in Catalonia, amassing a win probability of 71.4% as per the accumulated data from various betting sites.
However, betting sites such as Paddy Power and Bet365 are backing a draw at 4/1 and 17/4 respectively which are the best odds amongst the bets focusing on the game’s result. This suggests that the odds are in favour of the match heading to extra time and then possibly even penalties.
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Why you can expect a goal-filled match
With the removal of the away goals, second leg ties in all European competitions have seen a sharp rise in goals and the same can be expected for this clash as well. Both Paddy Power and Bet365 are backing a 15/8 odds for both sides to score.
Will this duo score for Barcelona again?
As far individual players are concerned, it is expected to be safe to back new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dutch star Memphis Depay to score for Barca.
Aubameyang has already netted 5 goals in just 6 appearances since joining Barcelona from Arsenal in January and would be a safe bet if the striker starts for the Spanish side tonight.
While anything can happen in football as was displayed during the Real Madrid-PSG game, if the result was to be determined by the odds, Barca are leading Galatasaray on almost all parameters and look to be progressing to the next stage in the competition.