UEFA Europa League Semi-finals
Arsenal v Valencia
Eintracht Frankfurt v Chelsea
UEFA Europa League Semi-finals
Arsenal v Valencia
Eintracht Frankfurt v Chelsea
vs
Wed , May 1 , 2019
12:30am IST Tottenham v Ajax , Live on Sony TEN 2 / TEN 2HD
Thu , May 2 , 2019
12:30am IST Barcelona v Liverpool , Live on Sony TEN 2 / TEN 2HD
This semi final will be the biggest test yet in Jurgen Klopp's tenure..1st leg at Camp Nou..I guess Barca did not play Messi last week in La Liga. Stopping him will be nigh on impossible ..at least one away goal is a must for Liverpool..huge test for our defence against the most feared front three in world football .
away beyond the worldly rules of right and wrong, there is a field; I will meet you there
Messi do play full second half and scored the solitary goal.
Barca's back line is poor and 'even' against Man Utd they nearly conceded at Nou Camp , I don't think they will be able to keep Liverpool's red hot front three quiet
Liverpool do have the best Central Defender in Europe in Van dijk and two excellent wing backs and are in better shape and form than Barca , even if Barca scores , an away goal will do for Liverpool and they can manage that in the Second Leg at Anfield
Across the 43-year history of their rivalry, Barcelona have never knocked Liverpool out of Europe, never defeated the Reds at the Camp Nou. Four home matches: two defeats, two draws, one solitary goal scored -- 12 years ago, by Deco. It's an angry blemish scarring an otherwise superb European record from a club that, like Liverpool, is pursuing its sixth Champions League trophy.
And the harsh truth, amid the champagne and backslapping of their La Liga title win on Saturday, is that if Barcelona perform against Jurgen Klopp's team this week like they did in beating Levante 1-0, then both those bleak records are guaranteed to continue. Their bid for a third Treble, when no other club has more than one, will be in tatters
What happened on Saturday, while Paco Lopez's Levante played absolutely superbly, going toe to toe with a squad that was assembled for hundreds of times the cost and is paid hundreds of millions more, was precisely what Lionel Messi has recently warned against. Barca's genius stepped off the pitch seconds after the final whistle against Manchester United in the quarterfinal and shrugged off praise from his interviewer so that he could go straight to the nub of the matter.
Graham Hunter
Spain writer
ESPN FC
All the 4 previously played ties must have been pre-Messi era..none of our back 4 would have played anything like Messi..stopping Busquets from dictating play will surely be part of Klopp's plan..if Firmino is not fit, it will be a huge blow in that regard..the only game in the season where we were thoroughly outplayed and outfought was at PSG away where we had to face an inspired Neymar and Mbappe..Neymar came onto midfield to create space for midfield runners in that game..Our midfield just couldn't cop with their directness..if Klopp's plays the midfield of Milner, Hendo andWijnaldum, it might happen again..Hope he plays Fabinho,his tackling and composure on the ball will be crucial to avoid a PSG like performance...We will hav to work our socks off to deny time for Barca on te ball.
away beyond the worldly rules of right and wrong, there is a field; I will meet you there
Tottenham are without a string of key players, including strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, for the game in north London and were also involved in a 1-0 loss against West Ham United on Saturday while Ajax rested
Pochettino said Ajax have an unfair advantage because the injuries to his team and the fact that the whole of the Dutch league program was postponed to help Ten Hag's side prepare.
The straight-talking Dutchman was unimpressed, however, playing down suggestions his side were favourites.
"We get ?10 million for playing in Eredivisie and they get many more millions for being in the Premier League. Is that not unfair on us?" the 49-year-old coach told reporters.
"There are always differing circumstances. Everybody has different circumstances. You just have to deal with them. That's what we do."
Tottenham 0 - 1 Ajax
Ajax claim narrow UCL semifinal advantage vs. Spurs
Donny van de Beek's 15th-minute goal gave Ajax a first-leg win against a Tottenham side that managed just one shot on target.