Barcelona vs Slavia Prague Predictions

Barcelona had their title hopes dented at the weekend as they went down to Levante. This was no rotated Catalan side; Lionel Messi and co. were beaten 3-1, but will that fire them towards a response in the Champions League? Barca are edging towards the last 16, while three points against Slavia Prague will put them on the verge of qualification.

The hosts are the heavy favourites to take all three points here, as Slavia come into this game bottom of the group with a single point to their name so far. However, the worry for the hosts is the impact of juggling multiple competitions, as they are just a point clear at the top of the table domestically. They face a tough run-in, with Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund still to come in this group, so a victory for the Catalans is vital here.

Slavia nearly produced a major upset in their 2-1 home defeat to the Spanish champions, but they aren’t likely to get that close in this trip. The visitors’ recent Champions League trips have brought defeats to BATE, APOEL and Dynamo Kyiv, who have each scored twice in those wins. That suggests this will be a comfortable victory for Barcelona on Tuesday.

While Barcelona showed in Prague they can be vulnerable on the road in Europe, they will expect much better here. The bookies have naturally priced them up as clear favourites this week. The Catalans are coming into this one aiming to extend a brilliant run of form at home in this competition. Can they add to their recent high-scoring run on Tuesday?

Barcelona have scored three goals or more in 13 of their last 17 home games in this competition. The Catalans have 30 wins in their last 33 home clashes in Europe. Before this season, Barca had scored three in eight of 11 group-stage home games. Given they head into this one with 13 goals in four at the Nou Camp, Barca should rack up a few.

We are backing Barca to land over 2.5 goals once again in this clash. On top of backing over 2.5 Barca Team Goals, we are going with a 3-1 victory for the Spanish champions. Slavia have already scored at home to Barca and at Inter in this group, so they are capable of netting at Camp Nou. We are tipping them to find the net in a 3-1 defeat on Tuesday.