Having lost 3-0 in the first leg, it will take a small miracle for Liverpool to advance to the Champions League final and their odds haven’t been helped in the last few days.
Along with Naby Keita going off injured at Camp Nou, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah will also miss the second leg due to injuries.
Liverpool are left with just one of the front three fit for the game. With the fitness of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Virgil van Dijk also seemingly in question, everything will be against the Reds when the second leg kicks off.
Barcelona, on the other hand, made 11 changes from their first-leg team at the weekend as they have already won La Liga and are fully focused on the Champions League.
With a rested squad and a 3-0 advantage, they are heavy favourites to go through, but this Liverpool side never know when they are beaten. With the high of their late winner at Newcastle United in mind, they will still give Barcelona a run for their money, no matter how unlikely progression is.
I spoke to @totalBarca last week ahead of the first leg, and I’ve done so again to get their thoughts on the game at Camp Nou, Barcelona and Liverpool’s performances, and whether they see the tie as over and done.
To start off, what were your thoughts on the first leg?
Very happy with the first leg. 3-0 is an amazing result.
Who impressed you the most from both sides?
Messi, as he normally is, was miles ahead of any other player on the pitch. Robertson put in a decent performance for Liverpool I thought.
What are your thoughts on Barcelona’s performance?
A good professional performance from us. Could have scored more too.
And what are your thoughts on Liverpool’s performance?
Liverpool put in a decent performance but were lacking in front of goal.
Do you think it’s fair to say that Liverpool probably deserved a bit more from the first leg?
We scored our chances; you didn’t. Therefore the score ends up as 3-0! But I understand Liverpool fans thinking that they may have deserved a goal.
Do you feel like the job is done or is the tie still up for grabs?
The tie isn’t over until the final whistle on Tuesday. We have to keep going until then.
How do you think the second leg will play out?
Obviously Liverpool have to go for it, so hopefully, we end up with some good counter-attacking opportunities to score.
How will Ernesto Valverde line up his side?
Could be very similar to the team we put out in the first leg, or we may opt for a 4-4-2 for more security.
