Barcelona welcome Liverpool to the Camp Nou on Wednesday in a match to savour. The Catalan giants last lifted the trophy in 2015 when they triumphed over Juventus. They have been one of the most successful sides in the tournament for the last 20 years (behind hated rivals, Real Madrid).
Liverpool reached the final last year only to lose to Real Madrid. Their last title triumph in the competition was in 2005. Both teams have won the tournament five times, only Los Merengues and AC Milan have won it more times.
After securing the Spanish title at the weekend, things could get even better for Barca on Wednesday night.
The Spanish giants are pushing for a treble over the course of the next month, with the Copa del Rey final against Valencia still to be played.
However, Liverpool are also gunning for Premier League glory along with their ambitions in Europe. They will be aiming to go one better than last season’s final defeat.
This is a truly heavyweight clash in, the kind of game we expect at this point in the competition.
Both sides come into this game with brilliant form behind them, but who has the edge? History does suggest that Barcelona are primed for a victory in this one.
The Catalans have won more Champions League games against English sides (27) than any side has won against clubs from a nation in the competition’s history.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The sides have met 4 times in the history of the UEFA Champions League
They last met at the round of 16 stage in 2007. Liverpool qualified on the away goals rule (winning 2-1 at the Camp Nou but losing 1-0 at Anfield).
FORM
Barca are unbeaten at home in the UCL this season with 4 wins and a draw so far
On the other hand, Liverpool had lost all three away ties in the group stage and had to qualify based on the performances at Anfield. The knockout stages have been different as the Reds have won both games away from Merseyside this season.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last nineteen competitive matches, recording fourteen victories in the process.
Liverpool are also without a loss in their previous nineteen outings , winning their last 10 in a row.
MESSI FACTOR
Liverpool will go looking for an away goal knowing that Lionel Messi has a great record against English sides.
The Argentine will fancy himself to score in the first leg. He has scored 24 goals in just 32 Champions League matches against English opposition
However, the Argentine has failed to net in his two previous appearances versus Liverpool.
His 10-goal haul has him on course for the Golden Boot. Having scored against the rest of the Premier League’s top six, the Argentine should be able to complete the set on Wednesday.
He has 13 goals in his last 11 games in all competitions, so the forward is brilliantly priced to follow up a run of nine goals in six home Champions League matches. BetBiga.com is offering good odds on this.
PREDICTION
The Spanish champions are unbeaten in 31 home games in the Champions League, while they’ve won 24 of the last 26.
Their only slip ups in that time were draws in a dead rubber with Tottenham and a hard-fought 0-0 with Juventus.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s away record in Europe leaves a lot to be desired. They may have won their last two, but that came after a five-game losing streak.
They lost every group stage away game. Ernesto Valverde’s men should be confident of getting a win from this one. We think the hosts are brilliantly priced at BetBiga.com to get a result.
We’re backing a home win. We also think there’s value to be had in betting that both teams will score.
