Big Match Feature: Liverpool v Barcelona

Barcelona hold a sizeable advantage as they travel to Anfield looking for a first two-legged victory against Liverpool, which would earn a first UEFA Champions League final appearance since 2015. Catch all the action live on SuperSport and streaminng through DStv Now.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez gave Barcelona a first-half lead in the first leg at the Camp Nou, before Lionel Messi struck twice in the final 15 minutes – his first goals against Liverpool – to create a cushion to take to Merseyside. Barcelona have reason to be wary, however, having bowed out of last season's competition despite a first-leg victory by a three-goal margin.

Barcelona are in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning their fifth European title four seasons ago, although they have won only two of their last five contests at this stage. Liverpool, meanwhile, have reached successive semi-finals but have it all to do against a team who have won their last two games at Anfield.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

This is the teams' tenth fixture, six of the previous nine having come in a six-year period between 2001 and 2007.

Each side has now recorded three wins with Barcelona scoring nine goals to Liverpool's six – although the English club have won all three two-legged contests on aggregate.

Liverpool were 2-1 winners over the two games in the clubs' first tie, in the 1975/76 UEFA Cup semi-finals. John Toshack scored the only goal of the first leg at the Camp Nou, and Phil Thompson's 51st-minute goal at Anfield proved enough for progress despite Carles Rexach levelling on the night a minute later. The Reds went on to win the trophy, defeating Club Brugge in the final.

The clubs' next meetings, in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup semi-finals, also proved tight, Liverpool's Gary McAllister scoring the only goal of the tie from the penalty spot in the 44th minute of the second leg at Anfield. Once again, Liverpool went on to win the competition that season, beating another Spanish side, Alavés, in the final.

Barcelona came out on top when the teams reconvened later that year in the UEFA Champions League second group stage, Patrick Kluivert, Fábio Rochemback and Marc Overmars overturning Michael Owen's 27th-minute opener in a 3-1 win at Anfield. The game at the Camp Nou finished scoreless, both sides progressing to the quarterfinals, where Liverpool were eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen; Barcelona lost to Real Madrid in the last four.

Barça were also victorious on their most recent visit to Anfield, Eidur Gudjohnsen scoring the only goal of their visit in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League round of 16 – but that was insufficient to repair the damage of a 2-1 first-leg defeat at the Camp Nou. Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise got the Liverpool goals after Deco had given the home side an early lead.

FORM GUIDE

LIVERPOOL

The Reds' record in European Cup semi-finals is W8 L2:

• 1964/65: L 3-4 Internazionale Milano (3-1 h, 0-3 a)
• 1976/77: W 6-1 Zürich (3-1 a, 3-0 h)
• 1977/78: W 4-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-2 a, 3-0 h)
• 1980/81: W 1-1 Bayern München, away goals (0-0 h, 1-1 a)
• 1983/84: W 3-1 Dinamo Bucuresti (1-0 h, 2-1 a)
• 1984/85: W 5-0 Panathinaikos (4-0 h, 1-0 a)
• 2004/05: W 1-0 Chelsea (0-0 a, 1-0 h)
• 2006/07: W 1-1 Chelsea, 4-1 on pens (0-1 a, 1-0 h)
• 2007/08: L 3-4 aet Chelsea (1-1 h, 2-3 a)
• 2017/18: W 7-6 Roma (5-2 h, 2-4 a)

Liverpool have therefore never lost at Anfield at this stage of the European Cup, winning eight of their ten matches (D2) and conceding just four goals, two of those last season to Roma.

Victories against Bayern München in the round of 16 (3-1 aggregate) and Porto in the quarter-finals (6-1) this season mean Liverpool have won their last ten two-legged European ties, qualifying included. Their last defeat was on penalties in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 32 against Besiktas (1-0 home, 0-1 away).

Liverpool have won seven of the eight UEFA Champions League knockout phase ties in which they have played the second leg at home, including the last six.

This is Liverpool's first two-legged tie against a Spanish club since a 3-1 aggregate defeat of Villarreal in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League semi-finals (0-1 away, 3-0 home). That gave the Reds the record W8 D2 in two-legged UEFA knockout ties with Spanish sides; it is three wins out of three in the European Cup.

Liverpool's last contest against a Liga club before this tie came in last season's UEFA Champions League final, a 3-1 loss against Real Madrid in Kyiv.

That win against Villarreal in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League semi-final is Liverpool's only success in their last nine fixtures against Spanish clubs (D2 L6) – a sequence that also includes the 2016 UEFA Europa League final loss to Sevilla.

The Merseysiders have won only five of their 17 games against Spanish visitors at Anfield (D7 L5), although they have been victorious in three of the last five.

Liverpool had won five successive home UEFA Champions League fixtures, beating Paris Saint-Germain (3-2), Crvena zvezda (4-0) and, decisively, Napoli (1-0) in this season's group stage, before drawing 0-0 against Bayern in the round of 16 first leg; they overcame Porto 2-0 in the quarter-final first leg. They are unbeaten in 21 European home matches (W15 D6), since a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid on 22 October 2014.

The Reds have lost six of their last 13 European matches, all those defeats coming outside England, although they were unbeaten in five (W4 D1) before losing to Barcelona.

Liverpool have won 13 of the 27 UEFA competition ties in which they lost the away first leg, most recently that 2016 tie against Villarreal. They have lost both ties in which they were beaten 3-0 in the away first game, however, against Paris Saint-Germain in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals and Strasbourg in the following season's UEFA Cup second round; in both instances, the English club won 2-0 at Anfield.

Liverpool's record in four UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W3 L1:

• 4-5 v Besiktas, 2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 32
• 4-1 v Chelsea, 2006/07 UEFA Champions League semi-final
• 3-2 v AC Milan, 2004/05 UEFA Champions League final
• 4-2 v Roma, 1983/84 European Champion Clubs' Cup final

BARCELONA

Barcelona's overall record in European Cup semi-finals is W7 L8:

• 1959/60 L 2-6 Real Madrid (1-3 a, 1-3 h)
• 1960/61 W 1-0 replay Hamburg (1-0 h, 1-2 a)
• 1974/75 L 2-3 v Leeds United (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
• 1985/86 W 3-3, 5-4 penalties v IFK Göteborg (0-3 a, 3-0 h)
• 1993/94 W 3-0 Porto (3-0 h)
• 1999/2000 L 3-5 Valencia (1-4 a, 2-1 h)
• 2001/02 L 1-3 Real Madrid (0-2 h, 1-1 a)
• 2005/06 W 1-0 AC Milan (1-0 a, 0-0 h)
• 2007/08 L 0-1 Manchester United (0-0 h, 0-1 a)
• 2008/09 W 1-1 Chelsea, away goals (0-0 h, 1-1 a)
• 2009/10 L 2-3 Internazionale Milano (1-3 a, 1-0 h)
• 2010/11 W 3-1 Real Madrid (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
• 2011/12 L 2-3 Chelsea (0-1 a, 2-2 h)
• 2012/13 L 0-7 Bayern München (0-4 a, 0-3 h)
• 2014/15 W 5-3 Bayern München (3-0 h, 2-3 a)

*Barcelona advanced directly to the 1991/92 final as group winners.

Three of Barcelona's eight semi-final defeats have therefore come against English opponents, with only one victory.

The Blaugrana have lost the away leg of their last three semi-finals, and have managed only two away wins overall at this stage of the competition (D2 L10).

Barcelona have lost eight of the 12 UEFA Champions League knockout phase ties in which they have played the second leg away, including three of the last four. In contrast, when they have played the second leg at home they have won 24 ties and lost just six.

This is Barcelona's 12th UEFA Champions League semi-final – fewer only than Real Madrid (13).

Barcelona have won 15 of their 25 two-legged ties with English clubs, including the last five. The 2012 semi-final defeat by Chelsea is the only reverse in their last nine contests, all in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase.

This is Barcelona's sixth game against English opponents this season; they were 4-0 aggregate winners against Manchester United in the quarter-finals (1-0 away, 3-0 home) having taken four points off Tottenham Hotspur in the group stage (4-2 away, 1-1 home).

Those results and the first leg of this tie make it one defeat in their last 16 European games against English clubs for Barça, who have won 12 of those fixtures.

Barcelona have won five of their last seven away games against English clubs (D1 L1), including both this season.

A 3-0 reverse at Roma in last season's quarter-final second leg – a defeat that ended their campaign on away goals, a third-successive last-eight elimination – is Barcelona's sole loss in their last 22 UEFA Champions League fixtures (W14 D7).

Before winning at Manchester United in the last round, Barcelona were without a victory in six away knockout games (D2 L4), scoring just one goal, since a 2-0 victory at Arsenal in the 2015/16 round of 16. The wins against United and Arsenal are their sole successes in the last nine such contests, with five defeats.

Suárez's opener in the first leg of this tie was Barcelona's 500th UEFA Champions League goal – a milestone reached by just one other club, Real Madrid.

Spanish champions for the 26th time – and fourth in five years – this season, Barcelona have been European champions on five occasions, most recently in 2015.

Barcelona are the only reigning domestic champions and the sole autumn group winners to have reached the semifinals. They are also the only undefeated team left in the competition (W8 D3).

Barcelona have won 38 of the 42 UEFA competition ties in which they won the first leg at home, although they lost the two most recent, including after a three-goal first-leg win against Roma in last season's quarter-finals (4-1 home, 0-3 away). Two of the other three defeats came against English clubs: in the 1983/84 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final against Manchester United (2-0 home, 0-3 away) and the 1982 UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa (1-0 home, 0-3 away).

Barcelona's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W5 L1:

• 5-4 v Lech Poznan, 1988/89 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
• 0-2 v Steaua, 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup final
• 5-4 v IFK Göteborg, 1985/86 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-final
• 4-1 v Anderlecht, 1978/79 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
• 3-1 v Ipswich Town, 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round
• 5-4 v AZ Alkmaar, 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round

LATEST NEWS

LIVERPOOL

Virgil van Dijk's next appearance in UEFA club competition will be his 50th.

Defeat at the Camp Nou ended Liverpool's 19-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W14 D5), and was their first loss since a 2-1 FA Cup reverse at Wolves on 7 January. They had won ten games in a row before the first leg.

The Reds made it eight consecutive Premier League victories with a 3-2 success at Newcastle on Saturday evening, substitute Divock Origi heading a late winner after the home side had twice come from behind.

Liverpool have lost only once at Anfield all season (W20 D3), winning their last six home fixtures. Nine of those wins have come by a margin of three goals or more.

Sadio Mané has 11 goals in Liverpool's last 14 matches.

Mohamed Salah, who got the second goal at Newcastle, is the top scorer in this season's Premier League with 22 goals, two more than Mané.

Naby Keïta scored after 15 seconds in a 5-0 win against Huddersfield on 26 April, Liverpool's fastest Premier League goal.

Andrew Robertson provided two assists against Huddersfield and Trent Alexander-Arnold did likewise at Newcastle to give each 11 in this season's Premier League, equalling the competition record for a defender set by Andy Hinchcliffe (1994/95) and Leighton Baines (2010/11).

The Reds had kept five successive clean sheets before the 4-2 win against Burnley at Anfield on 10 March; having not managed one for five games before the quarter-final first leg with Porto, they have now kept four in the last seven.

Salah was carried off in the second half at Newcastle after colliding with home goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka.

Keïta went off midway through the first half at Barcelona with a hip injury.

Roberto Firmino missed the win against Huddersfield with a muscle problem, returning as a late substitute at Barcelona. He sat out the win at Newcastle.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returned as a second-half substitute against Huddersfield, having not played since suffering a serious knee injury in last season's UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Roma on 24 April. He has also been added to the squad for this season's knockout rounds.

Adam Lallana, who has not played since 17 March, has been carrying a muscle injury.

Liverpool had four representatives in the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year 2018/19: TrentAlexander Arnold, Van Dijk, Robertson and Mané.

On 28 April Van Dijk was named PFA Players' Player of the Year; Mané was also included in the six-man shortlist.

On 12 April former Liverpool captain Tommy Smith passed away aged 74. Smith spent 18 years at Anfield, winning four league titles and scoring in the club's first European Cup final victory in 1977.

BARCELONA

Lionel Messi is top of this season's UEFA Champions League goal charts with 12 goals and looks set to finish as the leading scorer for the sixth time. He last topped the standings jointly with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in 2014/15 but has not been first alone since 2011/12, when he won the prize for the fourth season in a row.

Barcelona's 23-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W17 D6) was ended on Saturday as a much-changed side lost 2-0 at Celta Vigo. It was only the second time they had failed to score in 17 matches in all competitions.

The Blaugrana had won seven of their previous eight, and on 27 April secured their 26th Liga title with three games to spare by beating Levante 1-0. It is their fourth championship in five seasons and eighth in the last 11.

Barça were unbeaten in 11 away matches in all competitions (W7 D4) before losing at Celta. They have lost only four of their 27 games away from home this season (W16 D7). Last season's quarter-final second-leg loss at Roma is the last time they were beaten by a three-goal margin.

Barcelona have kept 13 clean sheets in their last 20 fixtures in all competitions.

Messi, who was rested at the weekend, is the Liga's top scorer with 34 goals, including the title-clinching winner against Levante; he has 31 in his last 28 games for Barcelona and 19 in his last 17. He has 27 goals in 26 club games across all competitions in 2019.

Messi's second goal in the first leg against Liverpool was his 600th for Barcelona, 14 years to the day after his first.

Messi came on as a substitute to score the winner against Levante, his 24th Liga goal as a replacement – a record in the 21st century.

Ousmane Dembélé was taken off after six minutes at Celta with a right hamstring injury. His replacement was Álex Collado, the 20-year-old's senior debut.

Rafinha was ruled out for up to six months after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg in the second half of the 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid on 24 November.

The Blaugrana, who have lifted the Copa del Rey in the last four seasons, have reached a sixth successive final and will play Valencia on 25 May at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in Seville.

Jean-Clair Todibo signed for Barcelona from Toulouse in January but is not in the UEFA Champions League squad; the club also agreed deals for Frenkie de Jong (Ajax) and Emerson (Atlético Mineiro) to join in the summer.

Is Messi going to surpass his previous record of 14 goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign?#UCL pic.twitter.com/1tV4Eevbyz

— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) May 7, 2019