This week, the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League, which started last week, is moving to Barcelona. Two tournament favorites are competing for the second ticket to the final. "Liverpool" players are arriving at the fortress of "Camp Nou", where "Barcelona" with Lionel Messi at the forefront has been setting the rules this season. Interestingly, this is just the first semi-final for Barcelona in the last three years, while Liverpool competed in the final last season. There is no clear favorite in this pair, although the advantage is given to the team with L. Messi. The "Liverpool" team is not familiar with the "Camp Nou" stadium, but the "Reds" have proven time and time again that they can defeat unbeatable opponents. The match in the Catalan capital will start at 22:00. Teams' Results Both teams are in excellent form entering the semi-final - both "Liverpool" and "Barcelona" have not lost any of their last ten matches. "Reds" have been on a winning streak, while Barcelona has played two draws during that time. Barcelona had a particularly successful weekend - they secured the "La Liga" champions title for the second year in a row. They struggled against Valencia's "Levante", but Lionel Messi, who scored the only goal in the match, solved all their problems. "Liverpool" is also displaying impressive results in the country's championships, but they face tough competition against "Manchester City". With two rounds left to play, "Reds" are one point behind, so they must win their matches and hope for their opponents' mistakes. On Friday, the "Liverpool" team enjoyed a dominant performance against "Huddersfield" in the "Premier" League, winning 5-0. Both main club stars, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, scored two goals each. Both teams have shown similar results in the knockout stage - drawing in the quarterfinals and then succeeding with three wins. Barcelona crossed the barrier of "Lyon" in the quarterfinals, while Liverpool defeated "Bayern" in the round of 16. According to football experts, the winner of this semi-final is likely to be the tournament winner as well. Both teams' statistics are impressive - Barcelona has been unbeaten for 22 consecutive matches, while Liverpool for 19. Teams' News Both "Liverpool" and "Barcelona" have no major problems with their lineup - it's just that the English club is slightly more affected. "Liverpool" may have to play without Roberto Firmino, who didn't play last weekend. It's still not clear whether the Brazilian will start from the beginning. Adam Lallana is out of the squad due to injury, so he will definitely not be in Barcelona. The good news is that Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Joe Gomez have fully recovered. There should be no surprises in the starting lineup for "Liverpool" - Jurgen Klopp will probably stick to the usual eleven, as in most of this season's matches. Barcelona has no problems in their lineup at all - the only player absent due to a long-term injury is Rafinha. All other players are ready to help the Catalans. There are no surprises expected in the lineup for the Spanish champions as well. The only uncertainty is whether Ernesto Valverde will choose Ousmane Dembele over Philippe Coutinho. Predicted starting lineups: "Barcelona": (4-3-3) Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Arthur; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho. "Liverpool": (4-3-3) Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Giorginio Wijnaldum; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane. Interesting Facts The last time the teams competed in the Champions League was in the 2006-07 season. Playing for a spot in the quarterfinals, both "Liverpool" and "Barcelona" celebrated victories away, but the English team advanced to the next stage thanks to the away goals rule. Between 2001 and 2007, the teams faced each other six times in the Champions League – three wins for "Liverpool" and two for "Barcelona". Barcelona has lost eight Champions League semi-finals in their history, three of which were against English clubs. They have only managed to beat an English team once in this stage. This will be the 12th Champions League semi-final for Barcelona – one less than the record holder Real Madrid. When playing against English clubs in a two-match series, Barcelona has won 15 out of 25 matches. The last time Barcelona lost a two-match series to an English team was in the 2012 semi-finals against "Chelsea". Lionel Messi, the orchestrator of Barcelona's attacks, scores a goal every 66 minutes in the Champions League this season.
