Liverpool’s Van Dijk against Barca maestro Messi is a classic European showdown of the Giant vs the Colossus
GERMAN legend Lothar Matthaus is SunSport’s European expert and he believes tonight’s Nou Camp clash could be a European classic.
There are two Euro giants slugging it out — plus two of the continent’s biggest players. It’s been billed as Lionel Messi against Virgil van Dijk but Lothar says if those two spend too much time close to each other, something has gone wrong . . . for Liverpool.
BEST IN CLASS
THIS would have been my final, the best two teams in the Champions League this season.
But the draw decided otherwise.
For me, though, especially with the second leg at Anfield, I make Liverpool the slight favourites to reach the final.
I said at the beginning of the season that Liverpool would win the Champions League.
They have now found the balance Jurgen Klopp wanted.
For his first two seasons they were great offensively but made too many mistakes at the back. That has changed, with Allison and Virgil van Dijk coming into the side.
The midfield has both power and speed and they are able to get the ball to Sadio Mane and Mo Salah.
FRONT FOOT JURGEN
LIVERPOOL have to attack Barca.
The mistake would be if they played defensively because that’s not their style.
To get a good result they need to bring all their power on to the field.
Liverpool must look to shake Barca out of their composure.
If you let them get their midfield combinations going, that can kill you. That means not allowing them any time or space on the ball.
Liverpool must play with an aggressive approach to stop Barcelona being able to construct their game. This is key.
The strikers have to attack the Barcelona defenders, to make them pass it quickly — and it must be the same in the midfield, forcing them to play and so stopping the combinations.
MAESTRO MESSI
IT IS hardly a shock to anyone, but Barcelona are all about Lionel Messi.
Messi makes the difference.
Yes, the other players have quality but Messi is Messi.
I have watched him play for Argentina and sometimes he doesn’t exist.
But I have never seen him in a game for Barcelona where he doesn’t exist.
He just has the knack, the ability, to do something special and crucial. This is Messi.
TEAM IS KEY
WHEN Messi gets the chance to go one against one he is very difficult to stop on his own.
For Van Dijk, who is so tall, it will not be easy against a player of Messi’s stature.
Liverpool will not want to see that match-up because it means things are going wrong.
Messi starts in a half-right position. So Andy Robertson must get as close as he can and the midfield has to try and crowd Messi out. That should allow Van Dijk to concentrate on Luis Suarez.
If Van Dijk has to face Messi, with his movement, dribbling and control, it will be so difficult to stop him. When Messi has the ball centrally, with time, he has so many options to hurt you.
EX-FACTOR
THERE has been a lot of talk about how Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho will respond to playing against Liverpool.
Suarez was at Liverpool a long time ago. With Coutinho, it was more recent but these days, with players moving so much more than we did, they get used to playing against their former sides.
It will not be a motivation — this is a semi-final of the Champions League, a special game in its own right.
As soon as the first whistle blows they will forget they are ex-Liverpool players.
They will want to win, to get to the final, to show they are part of the best team in the world.
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VERDICT
BARCA were far too good for Manchester United in the last round but Liverpool are a different proposition.
Liverpool are more compact and powerful than United were. They are more aggressive, too, with a different body language to Barca.
I’m sure Liverpool will score in the Nou Camp — even if they don’t win.