Originally Posted by
Giggs
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
