FC Barcelona vs Lyon: 3 possible opening goal scorers for Barca | UEFA Champions League 2018-19

Football Club Barcelona will take on Olympique Lyonnais in the second leg clash of the Champions League round of 16 with the hope of defeating them. However, Lyon should not be underestimated as they successfully played the first leg to a draw.

Les Gones from France has the potential to crack down the Catalan giants. For that, they need to defend against Barcelona and be careful not to allow early goals. Ernesto Valverde's side has a few trustworthy players who can open the goal scoring for them.

In 2009, a 21-year-old Messi scored a UCL goal against Lyon. 2018-19 may see a 31-year-old Messi scoring a second leg goal for Barca vs Lyon.

Apart from the experienced Messi, here are the three other players who can be trusted to open the goalscoring account for Barcelona. Even one goal can be a plus for Barcelona as they have a solid defence.

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#1 Ivan Rakitic

Ivan Rakitic

The Croatian attacker Ivan Rakitic may be the one that opens Barca's account. He may also be the one who ends up as the only goalscorer for Barca in their clash against Lyon.

The 30-year-old was at his best in the round 26 LaLiga match against Real Madrid. He scored a clinical goal assisted by Sergio Roberto in the match. It ended up as Barca's solitary goal in that El Clasico match.

The former Manchester United coach, Jose Mourinho, heaped praises on Rakitic after the match.

"For me, Rakitic is one of the most under-rated players in the world. He is a fantastic player at every level," said Mourinho.

The ex-Real Madrid coach further added,

"He does defensive work on the right-hand side to compensate for Messi. He runs miles. In ball possession he is fantastic. He is simple, he is effective. He is one of the most under-rated players."

A huge opportunity awaits the underrated Ivan Rakitic to etch his name among the all-time greats of Barca during the second leg.

#2 Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez (c) celebrates with his teammates

Initially, Luis Suarez did not score many goals in February 2019. He was expected to score a goal in the Champions League clash against Lyon, but he failed.

It is indeed true that Luis Suarez is showing signs of fatigue. As of now, Suarez finds himself in a very critical stage in his Barcelona career. Criticism about him appears to have risen in numbers as Suarez is slowly becoming a shadow of his former self. But all of that could change.

Although Suarez started February in a very disappointing way, he ended the month with some promise. The Uruguayan centre forward scored a goal against Sevilla in the round 25 match of LaLiga. He further added two goals to his name in a Copa del Rey match against their arch-rivals, Real Madrid. If he gets lucky, he can be the one who opens the account for Barcelona.

#3 Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele is turning out to be a star player for Barcelona as days progress. As of now, the French attacker has 17 goals and 16 assists to his name for the Catalan giants.

As far as the UEFA Champions League 2018-19 is concerned, the 21-year-old has 2 goals and one assist in 5 appearances. Dembele seems to make the most of his opportunities in Barcelona.

This speaks volumes about Dembele's previous exploits. With the help of Messi and senior Barcelona players, this youngster might be the next big thing in the Camp Nou.

Nevertheless, he will be looking to open Barcelona's account in Parc Olympique Lyonnais during their second leg clash against Lyon in the round of 16.

All stats via transfermarkt