Barcelona take on Roma in the Champions League

Barcelona look to continue their great season as they take on Serie A power Roma in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

After a crazy finish at Sevilla, Barcelona returns to Champions League action on Wednesday. The Blaugrana play against Serie A side Roma at Camp Nou in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie. The Blaugrana advanced to the last eight by upending Chelsea in the round of 16 with a masterclass in the second leg. Now, Barca hopes to get an advantage in the first leg by winning at home and putting the pressure on Roma in the second leg.

Barca comes into the game lucky to still be unbeaten in La Liga this season. The league leaders traveled to Sevilla this past weekend looking to keep their pace up. However, Sevilla had a 2-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the contest. Despite the deficit, Lionel Messi was the hero once again as he came off the bench, grabbed a late equalizer and helped his side steal a point in a 2-2 draw. Barca leads La Liga by nine points going into this weekends action.

In terms of injury news, Lionel Messi was on the bench after picking up an injury with the Argentina national team. However, the superstar forward should be fit and will be in the starting 11 in his usual role. Sergio Busquets injured his foot against Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16, but he could also be back in the starting 11. Philippe Coutinho still can’t play in the Champions League because he is cup-tied to Liverpool. In addition to that, French left-back Lucas Digne picked up an injury with his national team and won’t play.

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As for Roma, Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolan could miss this game due to an injury during the weekend in Serie A action against Bologna. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t have a chance because they have a lot of quality in their squad. One player to look out for is Eden Dzeko, a striker who has scored a lot of goals in Italy and in England with Manchester City.

While Barca sports a dangerous attack, it’ll be up to an important player for Roma to stop them. Alisson will be tasked with keeping Barcelona scoreless. The Brazilian goalkeeper is rated as one of the best young players at his position. He joined Roma from Sport Club Internacional in July 2016 and is looking to continue his good form.

Next: Barca has to get a clean sheet in the first leg vs. Roma

Overall, this tie will be a tough one for Barcelona. However, with players like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, it’ll be a tough task for Roma in this two-leg quarterfinal. The 2015 match between both teams at Camp Nou was a forgettable one for Roma. Barca won that match 6-1 on over the Giallorossi with Messi and Suarez both having two goals in that match. Barca hopes to get the same kind of effort against Roma in this years Champions League quarterfinal tie.