Barcelona play Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals with the first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.
In the last round, Jurgen Klopp’s team thrashed Porto 6-1 on aggregate, while Barcelona dismissed Manchester United from the tournament with a 4-0 quarter-final victory over two legs.
Both sides come into the tie in fine form, as Barcelona secured the La Liga crown at the weekend for the fourth time in five years.
While Liverpool kept themselves one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race with a 5-0 rout against relegated Huddersfield.
Klopp’s Liverpool will be hoping to extend their 19 game unbeaten streak, while Ernesto Valverde’s team continue their pursuit of a historic treble, with former Liverpool pair Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho likely to lead the line.
1/23 Liverpool 4-0 Huddersfield
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2/23 Alisson – 7
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3/23 Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8
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4/23 Virgil van Dijk – 8
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5/23 Dejan Lovren – 6
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6/23 Andrew Robertson – 8
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7/23 Jordan Henderson – 7
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8/23 Georginio Wijnaldum – 6
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9/23 Naby Keita – 7
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10/23 Mohamed Salah – 8
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11/23 Daniel Sturridge – 5
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12/23 Sadio Mané – 9
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13/23 Jonas Lossl – 5
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14/23 Erik Durm – 5
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15/23 Terence Kongolo – 6
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16/23 Christopher Schindler – 6
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17/23 Erik Durm – 5
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18/23 Jon Gorenc Stankovic – 4
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19/23 Karlan Grant – 6
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20/23 Juninho Bacuna – 6
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21/23 Jonathan Hogg – 5
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22/23 Isaac Mbenza – 7
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23/23 Steve Mounie – 5
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1/23 Liverpool 4-0 Huddersfield
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2/23 Alisson – 7
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3/23 Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8
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4/23 Virgil van Dijk – 8
Action Plus via Getty Images
5/23 Dejan Lovren – 6
CameraSport via Getty Images
6/23 Andrew Robertson – 8
REUTERS
7/23 Jordan Henderson – 7
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
8/23 Georginio Wijnaldum – 6
AP
9/23 Naby Keita – 7
AFP/Getty Images
10/23 Mohamed Salah – 8
AFP/Getty Images
11/23 Daniel Sturridge – 5
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12/23 Sadio Mané – 9
AFP/Getty Images
13/23 Jonas Lossl – 5
Action Images via Reuters
14/23 Erik Durm – 5
Getty Images
15/23 Terence Kongolo – 6
AFP/Getty Images
16/23 Christopher Schindler – 6
AP
17/23 Erik Durm – 5
Getty Images
18/23 Jon Gorenc Stankovic – 4
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19/23 Karlan Grant – 6
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20/23 Juninho Bacuna – 6
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21/23 Jonathan Hogg – 5
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22/23 Isaac Mbenza – 7
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23/23 Steve Mounie – 5
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Prediction… Barcelona 2-2 Liverpool
In spite of their 4-0 aggregate win over Manchester United in the last round, Barcelona’s performances in the quarter-final led many football fans to label Liverpool clear favourites over the Catalan side ahead of the semi-final.
Admittedly, the matches with United highlighted the Manchester club’s weaknesses rather than Barcelona’s strengths, and many fans believe that Valverde’s side are a little too reliant on Lionel Messi.
Nevertheless, Barca have just won the La Liga title yet again, and they still have the treble to play for, so anyone questioning their quality or motivation should do so with caution.
Attempting to keep Messi quiet in his own backyard will be the trickiest test of the season so far for Virgil van Dijk – who was named PFA Player of the Year on Sunday – and for Liverpool, it’s about grabbing as many away goals as they can.
If they succeed in doing that, they will position themselves promisingly for one of those famous nights of European football at Anfield in the return leg.
What time does it start?
Barcelona vs Liverpool kicks off at 8pm (GMT).
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with coverage beginning at 7pm.
Subscribers can also watch the game on BTSport.com and the broadcaster’s app, or in ultra-high definition on BT Sport 4K UHD.
Predicted line-ups
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Melo; Messi, Suarez, Coutinho
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Mane, Origi
Head-to-head…
Liverpool 0-1 Barcelona, Champions League, March 2007
Barcelona 1-2 Liverpool, Champions League, February 2007
Barcelona 0-0 Liverpool, Champions League, March 2002
Liverpool 1-3 Barcelona, Champions League, November 2001
Liverpool 1-0 Barcelona, UEFA Cup, April 2001
Form guide…
Barcelona: WDWWWW
Liverpool: WWWWWW
Odds…
Barcelona to win: 10/11
Liverpool to win: 14/5
Draw: 16/5
