It’s the clash of the titans in this UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg as the Italian champions host the Spanish champions in what is possibly the strongest tie of the round. Both sides will fancy another Champions League trophy if they can get through to the semi-final and the first leg will be vital to the outcome of the tie. Both sides are experienced in the competition as Juventus have won it twice and Barcelona have won it 5 times.

STATS

• Juventus are yet to lose a game in this season’s competition as they won 4 of their 6 group stages games and beat Porto twice in both legs. They comfortably eased past the Portuguese giants as they managed to win 3-0 over the two legs.
• Barcelona have lost twice in the Champions League this season to Man City (3-1) and PSG (4-0). However, in their last game in the competition they recorded one of the greatest ever Champions League comebacks as they came back from 4-0 on aggregate to win 6-5 in the dying moments of the tie.
• In his first season at the club, Gonzalo Higuain is Juventus’ leading goal scorer in the Champions League. But with only 3 goals, he’ll be slightly disappointed he has not managed a few more. His instinct will be vital if they want to go through.
• The Champions League’s highest scorer this season plays for Barcelona and goes by the name of Lionel Messi. An incredible 11 goals mean that he is 3 goals ahead of fellow South American, Edinson Cavani, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

HEAD TO HEAD

Juventus are yet to beat Barcelona in the Champions League but they have drawn on 2 of the 3 occasions the two sides have met. The last meeting came in the final of the 2014/15 competition and Barcelona won the game 3-1. Both teams have scored on all 3 occasions.

JUVENTUS NEWS

Juventus will be hoping to make their home advantage count as they look to go to the Nou Camp for the second leg in a decent position. They’ve only scored 14 goals in the Champions League this season but have only conceded 2 goals, their defence is one of the meanest in the world but the attack has lacked that cutting edge this season. They’ll certainly have to score at least 1 to have any chance of progression. Marko Pjaca is the only absentee for the hosts.

Latest matches: Juventus Turin

08.04.2017	Seri	Juventus Turin	AC Chievo Verona	2:0	W
05.04.2017	Copp	SSC Napoli	Juventus Turin	3:2	L
02.04.2017	Seri	SSC Napoli	Juventus Turin	1:1	D
19.03.2017	Seri	Sampdoria Genoa	Juventus Turin	0:1	W
14.03.2017	UEFA	Juventus Turin	FC Porto	1:0	W

BARCELONA NEWS

Barcelona have been mediocre at best on the road in Europe this season and will hope to put this to bed as they look to get a strong grip on this quarter-final. However, with several decent players missing for the big clash, it might be tougher than they expect. Midfield destroyer, Sergio Busquets, will miss the game through suspension while Aleix Vidal, Rafinha and Arda Turan miss out with injury.

Latest matches: FC Barcelona

08.04.2017	LaLi	Malaga CF	FC Barcelona	2:0	L
05.04.2017	LaLi	FC Barcelona	Sevilla FC	3:0	W
02.04.2017	LaLi	Granada CF	FC Barcelona	1:4	W
19.03.2017	LaLi	FC Barcelona	Valencia CF	4:2	W
12.03.2017	LaLi	Deportivo La Coruna	FC Barcelona	2:1	L

SUMMING UP!

There’s no clear favourites for this clash and it has all the makings to be a great Champions League match. But with home advantage, a narrow win for the hosts is probably the most likely outcome along with Barcelona’s poor form away from road. If one thing’s for sure, there will still be everything to play for in the second-leg.