In its own Camp Nou, FC Barcelona hopes to secure its place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday evening at the expense of Olympique Lyon. However, this diptych has certainly not been decided yet, because the first leg on French soil three weeks ago ended without goals.
FC Barcelona:
FC Barcelona is on track to win the national double, but the Champions League is the tournament in which the Spaniards really want to pop. It has been almost four years since Lionel Messi and his associates won the Cup with the Big Ears, and in the last three seasons they have always been killed in the quarterfinals. That is simply not enough for a club of such a caliber.
As FC Barcelona enjoys a generous lead in its own country, the focus has long been on the return to Olympique Lyon. “We regard this competition as a final,” Gerard Pique said earlier. There is indeed no word of that, because with the scoreless draw from the first game in mind, this fight is certainly not yet decided. All eyes are naturally focused on Messi on Wednesday evening, who can call himself the leader of the five major European competitions in terms of both goals (26) and assists (12). The little Argentinian can blow out 32 candles this year, but is still by far the best player in the world.
Apart from Messi, there is also a key role on Wednesday evening for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The German again proves to be one of the very best goalkeepers in Europe this season and according to many is a prominent candidate to oust Manuel Neuer from the goal at Die Mannschaft. Legend Lothar Matthäus already announced last week that he now rated Ter Stegen higher than Neuer. This competition at the highest level is of course an ideal opportunity for Ter Stegen to convince national coach Joachim Löw as well.
Olympique Lyon:
After stunts by Ajax and Manchester United, Olympique Lyon also hopes to amaze the football world by qualifying for FC Barcelona at the expense of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The French are not in any case without a chance, because with a goal in the Camp Nou FC Barcelona must make at least two. Based on an away goals, a draw would suffice for the team of coach Bruno Genesio. In that respect, the coach will be delighted with the return of playmaker Nabil Fekir. The star player was suspended three weeks ago during the first game, but is now available again.
The last time that Olympique Lyon managed to join the last eight of the Champions League is already nine years ago, but this season the team of Memphis Depay and Jason Denayer, among others, is doing well in Europe. Les Gones are even undefeated, because after the surprising 1-2 win at Manchester City in the first group match, all subsequent Champions League matches ended in a draw. The French also stood their ground in the first match against FC Barcelona. However, that was mainly due to goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who managed to keep his goal clean despite no fewer than 25 Spanish goal attempts. Also at the Camp Nou, the Portuguese international will have to hold a top game to keep his team alive.
PREDICTION: Both teams to score / YES @ 1,91
