Liverpool must produce a memorable Anfield evening to turn round a 3-0 first-leg loss at Barcelona, who are seeking a first final since 2015.


Barcelona hold a sizeable advantage as they travel to Anfield looking for a first two-legged victory against Liverpool, which would earn a first UEFA Champions League final appearance since 2015.

• Former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez gave Barcelona a first-half lead in the first leg at the Camp Nou, before Lionel Messi struck twice in the final 15 minutes – his first goals against Liverpool – to create a cushion to take to Merseyside. Barcelona have reason to be wary, however, having bowed out of last season’s competition despite a first-leg victory by a three-goal margin.

• Barcelona are in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning their fifth European title four seasons ago, although they have won only two of their last five contests at this stage. Liverpool, meanwhile, have reached successive semi-finals but have it all to do against a team who have won their last two games at Anfield.

Previous meetings

• This is the teams’ tenth fixture, six of the previous nine having come in a six-year period between 2001 and 2007. Each side has now recorded three wins with Barcelona scoring nine goals to Liverpool’s six – although the English club have won all three two-legged contests on aggregate.

• Liverpool have therefore never lost at Anfield at this stage of the European Cup, winning eight of their ten matches (D2) and conceding just four goals, two of those last season to Roma.

• Victories against Bayern München in the round of 16 (3-1 aggregate) and Porto in the quarter-finals (6-1) this season mean Liverpool have won their last ten two-legged European ties, qualifying included. Their last defeat was on penalties in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 32 against Beşiktaş (1-0 home, 0-1 away).


• Liverpool have won seven of the eight UEFA Champions League knockout phase ties in which they have played the second leg at home, including the last six.

• This is Liverpool’s first two-legged tie against a Spanish club since a 3-1 aggregate defeat of Villarreal in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League semi-finals (0-1 away, 3-0 home). That gave the Reds the record W8 D2 in two-legged UEFA knockout ties with Spanish sides; it is three wins out of three in the European Cup.

• Liverpool’s last contest against a Liga club before this tie came in last season’s UEFA Champions League final, a 3-1 loss against Real Madrid in Kyiv.


• That win against Villarreal in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League semi-final is Liverpool’s only success in their last nine fixtures against Spanish clubs (D2 L6) – a sequence that also includes the 2016 UEFA Europa League final loss to Sevilla.