The second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals will be held today, and the first semi-finalists of the tournament will be determined.
Idman.Biz reports that Atletico Madrid will try to maintain the two-goal advantage they gained in the first game against Barcelona on their home field. In the other game, Liverpool will try to eliminate the 0:2 defeat they suffered in the first match against PSG at Anfield.
The situation is difficult for Barcelona both in terms of score and historical statistics, because the Catalan club has participated in the European Cups six times so far, losing the first game at home, and has not been able to pass the stage in any of these cases. In addition, in the history of the Champions League, only one team has managed to turn the stage after losing 0:2 at home - this is the comeback made by Manchester United against PSG in 2019.
However, there have been great comebacks in Barcelona's history as well. The most memorable ones are the 6:1 victory after 0:4 away against PSG in 2017 and the 4:0 victory after 0:2 against Milan in 2013.
Barcelona is coming to the return match after a 4:1 victory over Espanyol in the last round of the Spanish La Liga. In that game, Ferran Torres scored two goals, and Lamine Yamal and Markus Rashford scored once each. Atletico Madrid lost 1:2 to Sevilla in the last round of La Liga, but head coach Diego Simeone saved the main players for the match against Barcelona.
In the Barcelona squad, Rafinha and Andreas Christensen will not be able to play due to injury, and Pau Kubaris will miss the game due to suspension.
One of the highlights before the match is Barcelona's complaint to UEFA about the penalty episode that was not awarded in the first game. In addition, the Catalan club also complained about the height of the grass cover at the Metropolitano stadium.
The Liverpool - PSG match also starts with the score of 0:2 from the first match, and here the situation is different. In Paris, Liverpool lost due to the game, and Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored goals. The team will have to show a riskier game under the leadership of head coach Arne Slot.
Last season, the teams also met in the 1/8 finals, and both sides won 1:0 at their home, and in the end, PSG passed the stage with a score of 4:1 in the penalty shootout.
Liverpool defeated Fulham 2:0 in the last round, and Mohamed Salah scored in this game. PSG won 3:1 against Toulouse, and the game with Lance was postponed.
Bradli Barkola has returned to the PSG squad, while Fabian Ruiz is still out due to injury. In Liverpool, Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Vataru Endo, Stefan Bajsetic and Giovanni Leoni will miss the match due to injury, while Kurtis Jones participated in the last training sessions.
It is reported that against the background of reports that Mohammed Salah may leave the club at the end of the season, this meeting may be one of his last games in the Champions League with the Liverpool uniform. However, considering the comebacks that can happen at Anfield, the outcome of the match is not yet fully determined.