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Barcelona and Olympique Lyon played out a goalless draw the last time the two sides met in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 encounters. The Spanish giants were considered favourites to emerge victorious heading into the game but they failed to outclass their opponents as the match ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw at the Groupama Stadium.
That implies that there is still all to play for when the two sides face each other once again for the reverse leg that will take place at the Nou Camp in the evening. This time, football fans will be hoping they get a different experience.
With strong sides such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain both disqualified from the competition by underdogs last week, attention has switched to Barcelona, as spectators wait calmly to see if the Catalans can overcome their tricky fixture against Olympique Lyon.
Los Blaugrana manager, Ernesto Valverde, knows quite well that his team must win this important clash in order to keep their treble hopes alive, as anything other than that would attract intense scrutiny from both the media and the Camp Nou faithful.
With the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Arthur Melo, Ivan Rakitic, Gerard Pique, and Sergio Busquets all fit, the Spaniard has plenty of options at his disposal. However, he might not be able to call upon the rejuvenated Ousmane Dembele who has been a standout player for the club this season after the attacker picked a hamstring injury against Real Valladolid on Saturday.
There are also doubts regarding giving the opportunity to Philippe Coutinho due to his poor form this term, and that is where summer signing, Malcom, comes into question. The Brazilian has been given a limited role by Valverde ever since he switched to the Catalan capital during the summer.
However, considering Dembele's injury and Coutinho's poor form at the moment, now is the perfect time for the manager to give the former Bordeaux winger an opportunity to showcase his talent at the Nou Camp.
Malcom spent two years representing Bordeaux in the French Ligue 1 and he has enough experience in his bag. During his time in the French top flight, the explosive winger faced Olympique Lyon on 4 different occasions, emerging victorious twice and drawing the remaining two.
He also scored 4 goals in those appearances, including a man-of-the-match performance where he bagged a fantastic brace to deny Les Gones a hard-fought victory at the Groupama Stadium last season. The attacker is simply a nemesis to the French giants and they will be praying not to face his wrath once again this term.
Considering Malcolm's record against Lyon, it is simply time for Barcelona to unleash him when they face the French outfit at the Nou Camp this evening. The Brazilian has proven that he is capable of stepping up at vital moments to produce the spark needed to fire the team up front, and Ernesto Valverde could have himself to blame if he fails to give him an opportunity in the Champions League tonight.
Despite being reserved to a limited role, Malcom has done enough to justify his ability - especially in the big games. He scored a vital equaliser against Inter Milan in the Champions League during the group stage and he also bagged an important goal for Barcelona to draw level against Real Madrid in the first leg of their El Classico in the Copa del Rey.
With such impressive performances to his name, the Brazilian could be the messiah Barcelona need in order get past Olympique Lyon today.
While starting him at the Nou Camp this evening might be a risk, it is actually one worth taking. The rise of Arthur Melo, who thrived under a similar instance against Tottenham Hotspur during the group stage of the tournament should've taught Ernesto Valverde an important lesson.
Young players sometimes need responsibilities to bring the best out of them. Now is the right time to throw Malcom in the mix!
