Barcelona, the five-time European winners, have been in the shadow of arch-rivals Real Madrid for the past three years. They won this prestigious event back in 2015 defeating Juventus in an intriguing final but are having a hard time ever since to reclaim the lost throne. However, the Catalonians are considered as one of the favourites to conquer the silverware and the Round of 16 tie against Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday night would test their resilience and measure their preparation before progressing through to the quarterfinals.
Lyon, meanwhile, remained unbeaten in the group stage (1W 5D) and defeated mighty Manchester City at the Etihad back in September. An outing at Parc OL would be tricky for the Cules as the hosts must be determined to cause an upset in this first leg fixture. Barca, on the other hand, would go for all three points, or at least a result to strengthen their hold and put themselves in the driving seat before welcoming the French outfit at Camp Nou in mid-March.
Team News
Ernesto Valverde, the Blaugrana chief, has a few injury concerns with Rafinha ruled out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury. Custodian Jasper Cillessen is sidelined for weeks due to a calf strain whereas Arthur, the summer recruit from Grêmio, is unavailable following a hamstring injury. Samuel Umtiti [Knee], however, is back in training but should not be risked versus Les Gones.
Formation
The gaffer has mostly preferred a 4-3-3 and is unlikely to alter the same this midweek while locking horns with the Ligue 1 heavyweights.
Manager: Ernesto Valverde
Goalkeeper
Marc-Andre ter Stegan has been solid between the sticks and justified the ‘number 1’ role since Claudio Bravo’s exit. He has a worthy competitor in Cillessen, but a calf injury will refrain the Dutchman from making it among the substitutes. Teenager Inaki Pena is set to continue as the German’s understudy until Cillessen returns in action the next month.
Defence
Valverde has often rotated his two right-backs Nelson Semedo and Sergi Roberto but should go for the Portuguese having lined up the latter versus Real Valladolid on Saturday night. Veteran Gerard Pique would be present in the deep defence alongside Clement Lenglet. The Frenchman has settled in well since completing a summer move from Sevilla and is likely to retain his place as long as Umtiti is sidelined for the La Liga giants. Jordi Alba has been a regular at left-back and should keep on making his presence known with a balanced defensive and attacking display using the flank.
Midfield
Youngster Carles Alena has been impressive in Barca midfield, but the manager must bank on experience and prefer a three-man midfield of Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic. They would inject power, physicality as well as work-rate in the middle of the park allowing the visitors to dominate the show and enjoy a superior ball possession.
Attack
Iconic Lionel Messi and hitman Luis Suarez would be a massive influence in the attacking third. They should be accompanied by Philippe Coutinho from the left even though the Brazilian has struggled to find his feet since completing a high-profile transfer from Liverpool just over a year back. Ousmane Dembele has uplifted his game in recent weeks but might be introduced later on replacing Coutinho depending upon the circumstances.
