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Can Liverpool Achieve the Impossible against Barcelona?

Liverpool are firmly behind the black ball when they head out onto the Anfield pitch to take on Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League semi final tie. They go into the game trailing 3-0 from the first leg, a game that looked so close for the most part before Lionel Messi took over and stretched the lead for the Spanish side.

Overall in that game, I didn’t think there was much to choose between the two teams, and it was down to individual brilliance from Messi that the game looks as though it is close to being over. Does that give Liverpool some hope? Can they dare to dream here, and believe they can knock out the Spanish giants from the position they are in?

First Leg Recap

Liverpool certainly had their chances in the first leg, anyone who saw the game would agree. At 1-0 with 20 minutes to go, they would have been very happy with how the game was unfolding, and a 1-0 defeat to bring back home would certainly not have been a bad result. Through no fault of their own, and nothing other than sheer brilliance from Messi, Liverpool were undone in the final minutes of the game.

The Argentinian scored twice, including a wonder free kick that no one was going to stop, and those two goals really put the dagger into the heart of Liverpool FC. Even at 2-0, Liverpool would have had a chance to turn this around, but 3-0 just feels like a step too far for them, even with the prospect of home advantage in this week’s game.

Does a First Leg Loss Play into Liverpool’s Strengths?

We have seen Liverpool embroiled in a title battle with Manchester City for most of the season, and there is a lot to take from that when you look at the state of play in this game. 3-0 is going to be very difficult to come back from, there is no doubt about that, but being behind is what suits Liverpool the best.

Not too long ago, Liverpool held a 10 point lead at the top of the Premier League, a lead that they let slip away over a number of weeks, giving Manchester City the advantage. When they had that lead, and they controlled their own destiny, they looked nervous and as though they were waiting for a mistake to happen, and it did.

The roles have been reversed now, and I think we have seen a completely different side to Liverpool. The moment that City took over and controlled things, many including me expected them to go away from Liverpool and win the title by five or six points, maybe even more. However, that hasn’t happened and the reason that hasn’t happened is because Liverpool have played really well, and they have continued to put the pressure on City when they can.

There is no real pressure on Liverpool at the moment and there hasn’t been for weeks, even though they are just one point off the top of the table. Everyone, even many Liverpool fans, expects City to go and win the title next weekend, but it is that exact situation that has kept The Reds in it.

I am not for a minute saying I fancy Liverpool to overturn the three goal deficit they have on Tuesday night. However, I do give them more of a chance than if they had come home with a one goal lead, because we have seen them faulter time and time again, when people expect them to win. Liverpool make for fantastic underdogs, and that gives them a very small chance of turning this around at Anfield, especially if they get an early goal and get the crowd behind them.

Liverpool vs Barcelona Betting Tips

Plenty will no doubt be tuning in to watch this one. Barcelona will feel they have enough in the bag to reach the Champions League final, while Liverpool will know that an early goal in the game will get the Anfield faithful behind them, and after that who knows what will happen.

There are two things to consider here, the first is the actual 90 minutes that are taking place at Anfield and the second is the bigger picture of who qualifies for the Champions League final. I have different winners of both.

I fancy Liverpool to win on the night, they matched up well against Barcelona last week, and were very unlucky to come away with the score that they did. They are far better than the result suggests, and with this being an all or nothing game, expect them to be attacking in force right from the kick off.

I’ve just explained that I feel Liverpool are at their best with something to chase, as opposed to being out in front and having the weight of being favourites. This game gives them the chance to do that, there is no pressure at all on them and I fancy them to win because of that. As far as the 90 minutes at Anfield goes, the bet for me is that Liverpool will win the game.

When it comes to the overall tie and who will reach the Champions League, I think Liverpool will give this a good go, but ultimately they will fall short, and it will be Barcelona who are going through to the next round. An early goal will give the home side hope, but I fancy Barcelona to score on the night because Liverp0ol have to attack, and that means the task will be an almost impossible one for Jurgen Klopp, with his team needing to score five.

I’m going with Liverpool to win on the night at Anfield, but for that not to quite be enough, and Barcelona to make the Champions League final at the start of June.