Barcelona will go head-to-head against Bayer Leverkusen in their pre-quarterfinal second-leg Champions League tie at Nou Camp. The Catalans are almost certain of making it to the next round as they currently hold a 3-1 lead from the first leg played in Germany.
The defending champions will be looking to strengthen their position in the tournament by putting another good display their home ground. The UEFA Champions League is now the only target of fetching top silverware for Barca as they currently lag behind in the La Liga title race against Real Madrid.
Lionel Messi will return from a one-match suspension to lead the home team’s attack. The three time FIFA World Player of the year has been in superb form for the Catalan giants and recently for his national team as well.
Alexis Sanchez, who had been in good form since scoring two goals in the first leg, will have to sit out for the clash after picking up a muscle tear in Barca’s victory over Sporting Gijon last week.
Meanwhile, Gerard Pique could face a possible ban from playing this game after his comments about the referee being pre-decided on showing him a red card in the last game.
On the other hand, Leverkusen will have a tough task of overcoming Barcelona. The German side have not registered an away win in the Champions League for 12 games. So it would be a surprise if they manage at least a win in the second leg, if not a win on aggregate.
But they will have to do it without influential midfielder and former German national team captain Michael Ballack, who is sidelined with an injury.
Manager Pep Guardiola could be on his way out from Barcelona in this summer as EPL club Chelsea seek a long-term replacement for their recently sacked Portuguese manager Andre’ Villas Boas. With that in mind, Guardiola would want to end his successful stint at the Nou Camp with another Champions League glory.
Probable Line-ups: Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Puyol, Mascherano, Adriano, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Fabregas, Messi, Pedro
Bayer Leverkusen: Leno, Schwaab, Friedrich, Toprak, Kadlec, Reinartz, Bender, Castro, Augusto, Schurrle, Kiessling