Van Dyck's second visit to the Camp Nou and Firmino's injury

Semifinal pairs of the Champions League this season turned out to be truly unpredictable. If one of the two main sensations of the Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur coincided, the other is the current finalist Liverpool and one of the main favorites of Barcelona, ​​who a few days ago became the champion of Spain and is now aiming for the requirements.

This opposition is interesting for several reasons at once. One of the leading defenders of the world, Virgil Van Dyck, will try to contain Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. And for the Dutch, this trip to the Camp Nou is not the first, because in 2013 he came here as part of Celtic and became an unwitting participant in a devastating defeat - 1: 6. But Messi in the meeting did not participate, as in the first game in Scotland (0: 1).

However, Van Dyke himself on the eve of the match seeks not to focus on the rivalry with the five-time winner of the Golden Ball.

“I think Messi is the best football player in the world. However, it is not only about him, because “Barcelona” as a whole is a high-class team, ”the UEFA official website quotes the words of the defender.

For the two other players of the attacking trio Barça Suarez and Filippo Coutinho, the confrontation with Liverpool will become even more important, because both have played a lot for the team and left it for big money.

“Of course, I will be pleased to return to Enfield.” I love this place very much. We talked with Jorge Henderson and agreed that it would be a special match, ”admitted Suarez before the game.

But this day will not be easy, not only for Liverpool’s defenders, but also for Barça’s defense, as she will have to restrain the impacting trio of the English team in the person of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, who have already scored 65 goals in all tournaments.

On the participation of the Brazilian in the first match, questions arose, since the attacker received a micro-breakdown of the muscle and missed the last meeting of the Premier League with Huddersfield. But at the pre-game training session, Firmino worked on a par with everyone.

Otherwise, both teams approach the semi-finals in almost full-fledged teams. Is that “Liverpool” will not be able to help the month injured Adam Lallana, and “Barce” - Rafina.

Messi's curse for the English teams and the impregnable Camp Nou

Determining a favorite in this confrontation is not an easy task, but the statistics do not bode well for Barcelona. The fact is that the teams will play in the European Cup playoffs for the fourth time in history, and in the three previous cases, it was Liverpool that went on.

And twice the mersisaydtsy knocked the Catalans out of the fight in the UEFA Cup semi-finals. This happened in 1976 and 2001. In both cases, the reds eventually won the trophy.

Also, the British team turned out to be stronger than the opponent in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League 2006/07 thanks to two goals at the Camp Nou. Moreover, at the home stadium of Barcelona, ​​Liverpool never even lost.

On the other hand, the Catalans have historically played extremely well with the English teams in European competition. It is enough that in the last 15 matches with teams representing Misty Albion, blue garnet won 11 victories and suffered only one defeat.

And in the current season, Ernesto Valverde's wards in four games with Tottenham and Manchester United three times celebrated the victory and once broke up with Londoners at home, which allowed the opponent to get into the playoffs.

At the Camp Nou, Barcelona is almost unbeatable in the Champions League. Win-win series of Catalans in the home stadium in the main European Cup has stretched for 31 matches (tournament record), in which the blue-garnet scored an incredible 28 victories.

Another team record can beat already in the next match. The next goal will be for Barcelona the 500th jubilee in the Champions League. So far, only Real has overcome this bar.

Chances are good that the leader of the tournament scorers with ten precise strikes by Messi will become the author of this ball. His story of confrontation with English clubs is a special topic. Enough of the fact that the gates of teams from Albion Lionel strikes more often than representatives of other countries - 24 goals in 32 matches.

"Many came to the" Nou Camp "with a clear plan and got on the head"

The head coaches of the opponents at the pre-match press conference as usual weighed each word clearly and spoke respectfully about the teams of each other. Valverde noted that it is very important not to allow Liverpool to score, since the English team is able to convert any mistake into a goal.

Liverpool has not changed since last season. I do not think that the defeat in the Champions League final somehow changed mersisaydtsev. This is a powerful team that puts a lot of pressure on the opponent and plays at a high pace. To beat such an opponent will be difficult. This season, Liverpool lost only one meeting in the championship, which underlines its strength. The three forwards of Liverpool play at an incredible pace, but it is important how they get the ball. We have to win the fight in the midfield so that the ball does not reach them, ”the UEFA official website quoted the coach as saying.

In turn, guest mentor Jürgen Klopp praised Messi’s game, but did not single out him alone.

“It's not about Messi alone. The whole team consists of top level players. Barcelona has already become a champion. Messi before the start of the season said he wanted to win the Champions League again, and that sounds like a threat. But we also want to reach the final. I would say that Messi is the best of the players I have seen, and I have coached many strong players. My father always said that the best is Pele, but I was too young to see him play, ”the German stressed.

He also noted that Liverpool intends to show his best game in Barcelona.

“A draw will not be the worst result. Many people came here with a clear plan for the game and then got a head. Last weekend, Real Sociedad played well here, but lost. Then the Levante also looked decent, but Barcelona won again, ”Klopp added.