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Barcelona are set to meet their toughest test in the Champions League this season when they face Liverpool at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their semi-final tie tonight. It is worth remembering that the Catalan giants had to play against tough teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Lyon and Manchester United in the Champions League this season.
However, Liverpool seem to be on a different level and are capable of doing sufficient damage to knock Barcelona out of the competition. Barcelona might be slight favorites as they will play at home, but the Spanish champions need to be very cautious against the Reds.
The tie could be decided on away goals as Liverpool are as scary going forward. Hence, a clean sheet and a win is needed for Barcelona in the first leg before their daunting trip to Anfield next week. Here we will rank the five players who could do the job for the Catalan giants.
Gerrard Pique
The veteran Spanish defender has been able to regain his reputation after series of shaky performances at the beginning of the season. He has recorded an impressive six clean sheets in his latest seven games for Barcelona and was an integral part behind their La Liga trimph.
Barcelona will give him the task to guard Liverpool's attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino (if available) cautiously. However, one would expect Barcelona to go all-out and bombard Liverpool's defense at the Camp Nou. Hence, Pique have to mainly worry about the Reds' deadly counter-atttacks.
He should not make misplaced passes or other clumsy errors at the back and should also be a threat in dead-ball situations. He has everything necessary to get the job done as his passing accuracy stands at a high 91.2 percent in all competitions, and his goalscoring record is also excellent for a centre-back.
Jordi Alba
Barcelona faithful were relieved when their Spanish left-back finally signed a long-term contract extension in February. Jordi Alba has arguably been the best partner for Lionel Messi for years and has established himself as one of the finest at his position.
The Spanish defender has amassed 12 assists combined in the Champions League and La Liga, while also providing sufficient defensive contributions for the Catalans this season. He is known for his outstanding ability to create key passes for his teammates and Barcelona would surely need him to go forward a lot in this game.
His main duty is to feed Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez with his sublime passes and crosses and he also needs to defend with extra caution as he will be up against Mohamed Salah at Barcelona's left flank, with the Egyptian winger being very dangerous at one on one situations. Hence, Alba would have a lot to do in this match.
Ousmane Dembele
The Frenchman's career at the Camp Nou has been plagued with injuries and inconsistent displays. However, he still has the reputation as one of the world's most talented wingers, who can wreak havoc to even the biggest of teams at his best days.
A pacey, highly technical player, who can score and set up goals with ease, he would surely give Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold a hard time at the Camp Nou. Valverde would need to choose either him or Philippe Coutinho to accompany Messi and Suarez up front.
However, the Frenchman could be a more decisive player than his Brazilian teammate due to Dembele's better overall goal involvements this season. He has been directly involved in 17 goals combined in the Champions League and La Liga for Barcelona this season, which is better than Coutinho's tally of 13.
His silky movements and vital passes would be important for Barcelona if they want to take an advantage into the second leg.
Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan strikercould become one of the deadliest threats to his former club in this first leg clash. Speculations have surrounded the former Liverpool striker's future at Barcelona as he is his 30s. However, Suarez has still proven himself as the club's most reliable forward, despite his age.
He has racked 21 goals in La Liga to become the league's second-highest top goalscorer behind Messi. His capability as a target man should not also be underestimated as he has contributed six assists in La Liga, plus a further three in the Champions League this term.
He is yet to score in the Champions League this season but his ability to link-up perfectly with Messi would serve as a huge problem to Liverpool. He could draw the attention of several Reds defenders to provide Messi with space to do the damages.
However, this time Suarez will be up against Virgil van Dijk, who is arguably the best centre-back at the moment. His battle with Van Dijk will be a very crucial part of this match which could decide the fate of both teams.
Lionel Messi
Valverde would surely want the Argentine megastar to steal the show and become the backbone of Barcelona's attacks once again. Messi has amassed a total of 44 goals combined in the Champions League and La Liga this season, topping the goalscoring charts at both competitions.
Everyone knows that stopping Messi would be a difficult task for any defender. However, the Argentine will now have a worthy opponent in Andrew Robertson. The Scottish defender has performed impressively for Liverpool and is currently one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.
One would expect Barcelona to attack Liverpool relentlessly in this match. Hence, Messi could have ample opportunities to weave his magic against the Reds. Messi's goal involvements at the Camp Nou will be very important for Barcelona against Liverpool, and he will definitley be the centre of attention in this match.
