For many footballing reasons, this is expected to be a crunch cracker and promises to contain a lot of mixed memories and emotions; and of course, a major reunion.
For the very first time in a long while, Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona talismanic forward Lionel Messi will share the same football pitch in a competitive match; this piece of detail would bring goosebumps and send sparks running down the spines of football fans across the globe.
In the first leg of the fixture, Ronaldo was absent as he had contracted the COVID-19 and needed to self-isolate. He is however back for the return fixture and will be looking to help his side claim bragging rights over his old-time foes Barcelona and Messi.
Team News:
Barcelona
Ousmane Dembele picked up an injury in the 2-1 defeat to Cadiz on Sunday and is automatically ruled out of this match. He will be sidelined alongside Gerard Pique, Ansu Fati, and Sergi Roberto as they’re all in the treatment room.
Predicted Lineup – Andre Ter Stegen, Dest, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Pjanic, de Jong, Pedri, Messi, Coutinho, Griezmann
Juventus
Ronaldo is back and fit, so he is a confirmed fixture for the game. The Italian side will however be without Giorgio Chiellini and Merih Demiral.
Danilo is expected to be shuffled out of the team and replaced by Alex Sandro in defense, sharing the same pitch side with Cuadrado.
Predicted Lineup – Szczesny, Cuadrado, Bonucci, de Ligt, Sandro, Kulisevski, Rabiot, Bentancur, Chiesa, Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus will be hoping to end a run of two consecutive away defeats at the Camp Nou in this game. The last time the Bianconeri defeated the Catalans away from home was in April 2003. However, it is going to be more of a Ronaldo vs Messi show than it will even be a Barcelona vs Juventus tie.