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Barcelona set to face Roma in Champions League quarterfinal

By Sarah Salahpour

UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti shows the slip of FC Barcelona during the draw for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League football tournament at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon on December 11, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti shows the slip of FC Barcelona during the draw for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League football tournament at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon on December 11, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona will take on Italian Serie A side Roma in the quarterfinal, with the first leg to be played at Camp Nou on April 4 while the return match will take place in Italy at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Catalans had some luck by their side during the nerve-wracking draw, as they avoided facing Europe’s most lethal sides such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid. In the end, they settled for Roma, who despite being a very strong defensive set, look to be the least dangerous out of the bunch.

Never underestimate

However, Barcelona should not take their draw against the Italians lightly. It has been proven that players become extra motivated in the Champions League and entering this tie with too much confidence could ruin their chances of reaching the next stage.

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Roma proved they deserved their spot in the quarterfinals after a strong comeback against Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg to dump the Ukrainians from the tournament.

It is also worth remembering that Roma have yet to concede a goal at home this season in the Champions League, a streak Barcelona will seek to break.

Messi, always the key

Lionel Messi is the man who Barcelona will be leaning on to get past this round. It has been three years since the Argentine star has lifted the European trophy and this season he seems as hungry as ever to claim his crown in the Old Continent. His stunning performances in both legs against Chelsea have given Barca fans hope for the Catalan’s conquest of the title this year.

Leo’s brilliant exhibition to put his team in the quarterfinals resulted in a major milestone for the footballer, as he has officially joined the elite 100 European goal club. And from his 100 shots that have smashed the back of the net, two of those have been against his upcoming rival Roma.

Recent Meetings

There have been very few Barca-Roma matches, as only five have been played throughout the history of the game. Four of their meetings took place in the 2001/2002 and 2015/2016 Champions League group stages and their fifth fixture was in the 2015 Joan Gamper Trophy, in which Barcelona secured a 3-0 win.

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Their most recent duel was back in the 2015/2016 season. It was an authentic goal festival for Messi and Co, as they sentenced the match in a 6-1 victory, with a Messi hat-trick and Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez and Adriano all finding the back of the net as well.

A few weeks remain before Barcelona take on the Italians and Ernesto Valverde will need to have his footballers in their best possible shape if they hope to reach the semifinals of the competition.

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