FC Barcelona will welcome Liverpool to Catalonia in mid-week for the first leg of their UCL semifinal tie in what promises to be a truly electric night at the Camp Nou. Barca are big favorites, but they know the challenge ahead of them in facing the runner-up from last year’s competition.
The Catalan club has a special plan as to how they will attack the Reds, and it seems the word is out on that. According to ESPN, Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde will emulate the approach of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who achieved a win and a draw in his two meetings with Liverpool this season.
Last season, the Reds got the best of City, beating them in domestic competition (in what was definitely the most entertaining game of the Premier League season), and knocking them out of the UEFA Champions League competition. Guardiola has since made adjustments this season and the Barca boss reportedly believes the key to success will be making a tactical adjustment to try and overcome Liverpool’s pressing.
“Liverpool apply very high pressure in the form of six or even seven players,” a club source told ESPN FC.
“They want to make you uncomfortable and, if possible, they want to rob the ball back. Our intention is to play as we always do. We want to get the ball at the back and play through their press. But we haven’t ruled out going long if we have to.”
We shall see Wednesday night if this is the tactic, or if it’s just a smokescreen planted in the media.
Either way, here is the first team prognostication we’re making for the Spanish champions in this one.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction vs Liverpool FC UCL Semifinal
Phillipe Coutinho Luis Suarez Lionel Messi
Arthur Melo Sergio Busquets Ivan Rakitic
Jordi Alba Clement Lenglet Gerard Pique Sergi Roberto
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Liverpool at FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League Semi-final FYIs
Kickoff- Wednesday May 1 Camp Nou 8pm
Starting XI Predictions- FC Barcelona Liverpool
Injury report for both sides: go to this link
Google Result Probability- FC Barcelona win 51%, Draw 26%, Manchester United win 23%
Referee- Bjourn Kuipers
Odds via Sky Bet- FC Barcelona 17/20, Draw 14/5, Liverpool win 29/10
Press conference video, quotes- coming Tuesday
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets:Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.