What Barcelona manager, Valverde expects as his side faces the Reds in the UCL second -leg

Barcelona will face injury-hit Liverpool in their second leg clash of the UEFA Champions League at Anfield after a 3-0 win in the first leg at Camp Nou.

Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has already tipped to bring outa hundred per cent different team and formation which leaves the visiting side out in darkness but still, Barcelona does cannot play down what the hosts can do.

And although they have their squad full and three goals advantage, Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde insists Liverpool will still have plenty of attacking power even without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

The pair have both been ruled out of Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg due to injury with Jurgen Klopp facing an attacking crisis.

The Reds will need goals if they are to threaten to overturn a 3-0 deficit after their first-leg defeat at the Nou Camp but Valverde says they cannot be taken lightly.

He still expects plenty of pace from Klopp’s alternative options as the Catalan club aim to keep control of the tie with a solid display.

“Having two important players out is a big miss for them,” he added.“We know the influence they can have. But they still have fast players who can put you in uncomfortable situations.

“We want to have the feeling we’re in control. There’s no doubt they will attack us.“They have lost one game this season in the Premier League and that was away from home. They are an opponent with a fantastic strategy.

“We’re facing a rival who could beat us. Seeing the ground, I don’t think we’ll be relaxing. We’ll face up like we’ve done so often this season.”

Barcelona let a three-goal advantage slip in the quarter-finals against Roma last year but Valverde reckons his side will learn from that experience.

“Experiences are great because you learn from them,” he said.“It’s true that last year we got a bad result in Rome. The advantage of football is that it gives you another opportunity.

“We know what’s on the table. We know how important it is. We are mentally prepared for that.

“We only have to think about what happens here. If we start to think about the result in the first leg it would be an error. We have to play as if we’ve played nothing before and have nothing after like it’s a final.

“It will be a difficult game because we know the fans will be really getting behind their side. We have to be aware of that.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *