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The first leg of the Champions League semi-final match between Barcelona and Liverpool had everything in it, ranging from excitement, thrills to heartbreaks. Both Barcelona and Liverpool fought hard with the former getting a huge advantage over the Reds.
Barcelona will be in the driver's seat as they travel to Anfield but when Liverpool is concerned, you just cannot rule out a comeback. We take a look at the five talking points ahead of the 2nd leg of the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Barcelona.
#1 Liverpool are known for comebacks
Liverpool have been through heavy losses and have been trailing the opposition's score in the first half in the past before doing an absolute comeback. Be it in the Premier League when Liverpool managed to beat Norwich 5-4 or the European competitions against Dortmund where they ended up beating the latter 4-3 to qualify for the finals of the Champions League of the season 2017/2018, the Reds have shown a knack for getting the job done late on in the game.
Who can forget the 2005 Istanbul Champions League final when Liverpool made an impressive comeback after trailing 3-0 to AC Milan only to later win the trophy after penalty shootout? This mid-week as Barcelona travels to Anfield, they would have to beware of a comeback from the wounded Liverpool.
#2 Two of the front three unavailable
Liverpool’s chances of beating Barcelona at home does look kind of bleak right now. Trailing from 3-0 in the 1st leg isn’t really an ideal situation and Liverpool would have probably realized it by now. The only thing that could help them would have been their front three running riot but two of them have been ruled out.
Roberto Firmino is set to be sidelined due to a muscular injury sustained in training last week. Jürgen Klopp confirmed that Firmino won’t be fit for the Champions League semi-final second leg. As far as Mohamed Salah is concerned, he sustained a head knock during the Newcastle match and had to be stretchered off the ground. It was confirmed earlier today that even Salah would be missing out on the Barcelona tie.
Without the two mainstays of Liverpool's fabled front three, Sadio Mané and Liverpool could both find themselves in a deep fix.
#3 The Lionel Messi show
The 1st leg of the semi-final between Barcelona and Liverpool had Lionel Messi running riot all over the Liverpool defence. The defensive pairing of Virgil van Dijk along with Joel Matip had a hard time stopping the Argentinian forward. This week Messi comes to Anfield and he will probably be looking for another chance to show his magic. Anfield is booked for a Messi show this Tuesday if Van Dijk and Matip do not find a way to stop the Barcelona number 10.
#4 The Anfield effect
If Nou Camp turned out to be a fortress for Barcelona then Anfield is probably a temple for Liverpool and the Liverpool fans. The fans have been a constant support for Liverpool and they’ve proved to be the 12th man whenever the team needed them.
This Tuesday, you can’t expect less from them. There’d probably be banners flying all around, ‘Allez Allez Allez’ echoing in the stadium and the classic ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ awakening the fighting spirit within the players. With Anfield behind the Liverpool boys, a comeback might just be on the cards.
#5 Bowing out with dignity
Currently neither the Premier League nor the Champions League have been ruled out for Liverpool. Having clawed a narrow 3-2 victory over Newcastle, they have all their hopes pinned on Manchester City to stumble against either Leicester or Brighton. Whereas for the Champions League, they’d be welcoming Barcelona at home this time and a 4-0 victory will be what they’ll need to qualify for the finals.
But there could be another scenario as well with Liverpool ending up runner up of the Premier League at the end of the season. Having lost 3-0 to Barcelona in the 1st leg, a comeback doesn’t really look plausible for Liverpool. But having come to the semi-final itself is a big feat and Liverpool would probably be gutted but not less proud of their season.
While Liverpool would look forward to a comeback while Barcelona would be wanting to put Liverpool behind them as they walk to the finals of the Champions League. Whether they win a trophy or not, they’d surely be bowing out with dignity.
