A thumping 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town uplifted the spirit in the Liverpool camp ahead of their trip to Barcelona for Wednesday night’s electrifying Champions League semifinal encounter. The first leg fixture at Camp Nou would be highly engaging among two of Europe’s most prolific football clubs at this moment. The players must throw everything to meet the fans’ expectations while locking horns with each other in this fascinating contest.
Liverpool Team News vs Barcelona:
Liverpool have a fitness worry prior to the midweek tie. Roberto Firmino had a muscle tear that ruled him out of the Huddersfield game. He is working hard to recover in time but might eventually miss the Barca outing as well. The return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a massive boost, but the Englishman is unlikely to be involved after being sidelined for more than a year with a horrific knee injury. Fabinho was rested on Friday night but should be involved against the Catalans. Adam Lallana, however, is still working on his fitness and unlikely to make it to the squad as things stand.
Liverpool Formation vs Barcelona:
It is to be seen now how Jurgen Klopp fields the Reds in the absence of Roberto Firmino. A 4-2-3-1 would have been reasonable with Mohamed Salah upfront. However, the gaffer is unlikely to experiment much on Wednesday night and should line them up in a usual 4-3-3 similar to the recent fixtures.
Defence
Alisson Becker is leading the Premier League Golden Gloves award and must keep on impressing in Europe too having played a massive part in Liverpool’s qualification from the group stage.
Virgil van Dijk, the PFA Premier League Player of the Year, is being hailed as the world’s best centre-back right now and his tussle with the iconic Lionel Messi would be observed minutely across the globe. Joel Matip was rested against Huddersfield, and he should partner the Dutchman in the heart of their backline.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been stupendous in their respective fullback roles. They have registered 25 assists this season but must concentrate on defensive duties first against a lethal Barcelona attack.
Midfield
Although Naby Keita has flourished in recent weeks, the gaffer should drop him for the Barcelona game and bring in Fabinho to add more stability in the middle of the park. Skipper Jordan Henderson would operate box-to-box whereas Georginio Wijnaldum must keep his place in midfield to break down the Barca moves and convert those into attacks from a central role.
Attack
An injury to Firmino might see Divock Origi earning a start ahead of Daniel Sturridge. The Belgian might be used down the wide with Sadio Mane featuring as a ‘number 9’. Mohamed Salah would look to threaten from the right flank but might have to work harder against the ever-reliable Jordi Alba.
