In a surprise result, Barcelona played out a goalless draw at Lyon in the first leg. And it made the second leg clash at Camp Nou intriguing enough, for, like three-time defending champions Real Madrid, a bad day and the Catalans can crash out of the tournament.
Lyon will be buoyed by that result. A draw is enough for the French side to progress, but Barca at home, with Lionel Messi, are sort of invincibles.
All You Need To Know About The Match:
Match: UEFA Champions League, the second leg of round 16 clash between
Date: March 14 (Thursday)
Time: 1:30 AM IST
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
TV Guide: Sony Pictures Network
Live Streaming: Sony Liv, JioTV
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Head-to-head (latest last):
After the first-leg draw, Barcelona have won four in the trot (4-2 at Sevilla, 3-0 and 0-1 at Real Madrid, 3-1 against Rayo Vallecano). During the same period, Lyon have lost one (0-2 at Monaco), won two (3-1 against Caen and 5-1 against Toulouse) and drew one (2-2 at Strasbourg)
Key facts
- Both teams are unbeaten in Europe this season;
- Barca are unbeaten in 29 Champions League home matches;
- Barca have won their last 3 home matches against Lyon in all competitions;
- Barca are undefeated in their last 7 Champions League matches;
- Barca have been European champions on five occasions, most recently in 2015;
- This is Lyon's tenth Champions League round of 16 tie;
- Lyon's last victory in the round of 16 came against Real Madrid in 2009/10;
- Lyon were Champions League semi-finalists in 2010 and are in the competition for the 15th time – more than any other French club.
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Likely XIs
Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal; Messi, Suarez, Coutinho
Unavailable: Rafinha (knee)
Doubtful: Dembele (hamstring), Vermaelen (thigh)
Lyon (4-2-3-1): Lopes; Dubois, Denayer, Marcelo, Mendy; Tousart, Ndombele; Depay, Fekir, Aouar; Dembele
Unavailable: Gouiri (knee)
Doubtful: Marcelo (thigh)
Manager speak
"There's something a bit different when you prepare for a Champions League game. Every coach at every team feels it, given how important the competition is and the prestige it has. Some big teams have been knocked out and anything can happen. We know how good Lyon are – they have some powerful players, especially in midfield and going forward. But we are ready to do our job, knowing we have our supporters behind us," Ernesto Valverde, Barcelona
"We have to play our own game, with freedom. We know it will be difficult against one of the best teams in the world, but we know we can do it because we have [won at Manchester City on matchday one]. We must show we belong at this level. Ajax's result [against Real Madrid] gives us strength. Many things depend on Messi. We will develop a game plan to reduce his influence, but we must be able to take calculated risks. We must be prepared to suffer," Bruno Genesio, Lyon
