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Liverpool will face the daunting task of overturning a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona at Anfield on Tuesday night to secure their second successive appearance in a Champions League final.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will not be taking anything for granted, especially after the disaster in Rome last season, where they squandered a similar three-goal advantage and crashed out of the quarter-final stage of Europe’s elite competition.
With their victory at St James’ Park against Newcastle United last weekend, Liverpool ensured that the Premier League title race will go down to the wire, but the victory did come at a huge cost as star forward Mohamed Salah suffered an injury.
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On the other hand, with La Liga already being wrapped up last month, Ernesto Valverde rotated as many as 11 players against Celta Vigo from Barcelona’s emphatic win at the Camp Nou against Liverpool on last Wednesday, only to suffer a 2-0 defeat.
Injuries & Suspensions:
Liverpool’s star forward Mohamed Salah has been ruled out of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona after suffering a concussion on Saturday night against Newcastle United.
Roberto Firmino (muscle tear), Naby Keita (groin) and Adam Lallana (muscle injury) will also not be able to take any part against Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will miss the service of Ousmane Dembele as he sustained another hamstring injury at Celta Vigo.
Players to watch out for:
Barcelona
Lionel Messi:
After his sensational display in the first leg, all eyes will once again be on Lionel Messi as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner looks determined to bring the trophy back to the Camp Nou this time. Messi has already notched up 12 goals in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season and will be looking to add to his already incredible tally of 48 goals across all competitions in the present campaign.
Luis Suárez:
The Uruguayan striker angered some Liverpool faithful with the way he celebrated after scoring the opener in the first leg and it will be fascinating to see how the Reds fans will treat their former hero back at Anfield.
Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk:
Many regarded him as the best defender in the world, but Virgil van Dijk failed to minimize Messi’s threats last week and received a lot of criticism from several sources. The monstrous Dutch defender will be looking to make his presence felt this time as Liverpool need to keep a clean sheet to give them any chance of pulling off a huge upset at Anfield.
Sadio Mané:
With Salah and Firmino being out, Sadio Mané has to take the responsibility of going forward for the Reds. The Senegalese international has already racked up 24 goals across all competitions for the Merseyside club this campaign and will be looking to mastermind a comeback against the mighty Barcelona.
Predicted Starting Lineups:
