Barcelona vs Liverpool Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur; Messi, Suarez, Dembele
Liverpool:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Barcelona host Liverpool in the first-leg match of their Champions League semi-final clash. The Catalans are huge favorites, not only in this match, but for the trophy. They started furious in the group and had three victories after the first three rounds, beating PSV, Tottenham and Inter. Barcelona eventually finished first with 14 points and faced Lyon in the first knock-out stage. The first match played in France finished with a goalless draw, while Barcelona destroyed them at Camp Nou winning 5:1. As usual, Lionel Messi was the key player scoring two goals, while the remaining three were netted by Coutinho, Gerard Pique and Ousmane Dembele. In the quarterfinals Barcelona played against Manchester United. The Blaugrana won both matches, 1:0 at Old Trafford and 3:0 at Camp Nou. The match in Englaand was decided thanks to an own goal scored by Luke Shaw, while Messi netted another brace at home, plus Coutinho. Barca are the only unbeaten club left in the Champions League, while they come into this match on a 22-game undefeated streak in any competition, stretching back to January. Coach Ernesto Valverde is doing an excellent job and Barcelona re on the way to secure the third treble in their history - after 2008/09 and 2014/15 seasons. The Bask coach has almost all players available for this match, only Rafinha is out injured. His absence isn't important as he has been sidelined since November with a knee ligament injury.
Liverpool are still in the battle for two most important trophies. They are one point behind Manchester City in the domestic Premier League and they are semi-finalists in the Champions League. But according to me, that's the maximum for Jurgen Klopp's men this season. First, I don't see Manchester City dropping any point in the last two rounds. Second, they were unlucky to face Barcelona in the Champions League. I believe the Reds will lost at Camp Nou and there is a reason for that. Liverpool's home form is excellent, they extended their unbeaten home run across all European competitions to 21 games, winning 15 of them. But away from home is a different story. Liverpool have lost all three group matches on road, suffering defeats from Napoli, Red Star Belgrade and Paris Saint-Germain. The Reds have scored just one goal on the mentioned three fixtures. It is true Liverpool won 3:1 against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and 4:1 against Porto at Dragao. Nevertheless, it remains the fact they have problem playing away from home. For this match Klopp has some injury issues. Roberto Firmino missed the 5:0 win over Huddersfield on Friday due to a groin injury and he is rated as doubtful. Fabinho also missed the Friday's match after suffering a head injury against Cardiff City, but he is expected to be available. Adam Lallana will probably miss the trip to Barcelona.
Barcelona vs Liverpool Prediction:
Barcelona are huge favorites in this match. They will strongly attack from the very first minute to put the guests under pressure. Valverde has a player able to make the difference in this match - Leo Messi. The Argentinian international is simply unstoppable.
Barcelona vs Liverpool Pick: Home win @ 1.93 with
Pinnacle
