Barcelona will chase another comeback
Little more than a month after producing the greatest comeback in Champions League history, Barcelona need another special turnaround as they face Juventus in the second leg of their quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Little over a month after producing the greatest comeback in Champions League history, Barcelona need another special turnaround as they face Juventus in the second leg of their quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique’s side were taken apart in the first leg in Turin, losing 3-0 to a Juve team inspired by Paulo Dybala, who scored twice. In the last-16 they became the first team yet to overturn a 4-0 deficit when they beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in the return at the Camp Nou, so fans are hoping for a similar “remuntada” this time.
“We are going to take as many risks as we need to the point that we could go out with eight strikers, as we have nothing to lose,” said Enrique after Saturday’s 3-2 defeat of Real Sociedad. The Barcelona coach also called for supporters “to have faith in these players who have won everything. This is a squad of champions.” But he added: “The thing is that we are used to always eating beluga caviar. That can’t go on forever.”
Barca welcome back midfielder Sergio Busquets from suspension, while Juve are hopeful Dybala will be ready after he came off in the 2-0 weekend win at Pescara with a sprained ankle.
“We have four days and we need to be optimistic,” declared coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Borussia Dortmund go to Monaco still shaken by the events of last week, when the first leg between the clubs was postponed by 24 hours following the bomb attack on the German team’s bus.
Dortmund lost 3-2 to the French league leaders but morale was lifted as they got back to winning ways in the Bundesliga at the weekend, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1.
After that game, the Dortmund players paid tribute to defender Marc Bartra by holding his No 5 shirt aloft as they celebrated in front of their fans. Spanish international Bartra had earlier been released from hospital after surgery on a broken wrist suffered in the attack.
“This gesture shows how important the things off the field are to us, and that Marc gets better soon and that we are all still here,” said Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer.
Monaco, aiming to become the first French side in the Champions League semifinals since Lyon seven years ago, are missing the banned Fabinho and Djibril Sidibe, who is recovering from appendicitis.