Barcelona vs Liverpool 2019 Champions League & Preview for Game 1

Barcelona easily rolled by Manchester United in their quarterfinal two-leg series. Barcelona won the opener at Old Trafford, as Manchester United conceded an own goal in the 12th minute, and then Barcelona’s defense made it stand as the only tally. When the series moved across the English Channel to Spain, Barcelona dealt out a 3-0 whipping. Lionel Messi delivered a brace, scoring in the 16th and 20th minutes, and then Philippe Coutinho put the icing on the win in the 61st minute. Liverpool dispensed with Porto fairly easily as well, rolling to a 2-0 win in the home leg, scoring in the fifth and 26th minutes. When the series shifted to Portugal, Liverpool turned up the offense even more, as Sadio Mane opened the scoring in the 26th minute and Mohamed Salah tallied in the 65th minute. When Porto finally found the back of the net in the 68th minute, Liverpool promptly added two more goals to run away with a 4-1 victory. Barcelona is a much tougher foe for the Reds than Porto was — can Liverpool elevate their game? Or will Barcelona deliver a win? Check out our Champions Legaue betting preview.

Barcelona vs Liverpool 2019 Champions League & Preview for Game 1

🔵🔴 Leo Messi in the #UCL = 🔥🔥🔥 2⃣0⃣0⃣6⃣🏆 2⃣0⃣0⃣9⃣🏆 2⃣0⃣1⃣1⃣🏆 2⃣0⃣1⃣5⃣🏆 pic.twitter.com/0jxv8QyWWV

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) 29 de abril de 2019

When: Wednesday, May 1, 2019, 3:00pm ET Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona TV: Univision Deportes / TNT Radio: None Live Stream: UEFA.com Soccer Odds: Barcelona -133 / Draw +280 / Liverpool +333

Why should you bet on Barcelona?

Barcelona is rolling to a championship in La Liga, and they beat Levante over the weekend in league play. Lionel Messi scored once again, providing all the offense that Barcelona would need. Barcelona comes in as the heavy favorite because of their form in league play — although Liverpool is also neck and neck with Manchester City at the top of the English Premier League table. There is also the fact that Barcelona had a tougher quarterfinal opponent than Liverpool had. The fact that Barcelona was able to deal a 4-0 rout to Manchester United and has such a distinguished scorer in Messi makes them the favorite here. Coming into Camp Nou and winning would represent a substantial upset. Messi has shown that he is almost automatic at home this year for Barcelona, and he has established a history of dominant soccer on the game’s biggest stages thanks to his play with Argentina. If you like Barcelona, you see this form all holding on Wednesday.

Why should you put your money on Liverpool?

Liverpool is playing solid soccer right now, sitting just one point behind Manchester City at the top of the English Premier League table. This past week, they faced Huddersfield Town (way at the bottom of the table) and took care of business in a 5-0 rout. The Reds held the ball for 71 percent of the game and sent 21 shots toward the Huddersfield net. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane each had a brace in that win. Given the quality of play that Liverpool has shown over the past months, it would be foolish to assume that Barcelona will roll to another easy rout. Barcelona did romp over Manchester United in the quarterfinals, but they have a way of going through droughts of scoring at certain times. Liverpool has a stout defense and has the players up front to make Barcelona pay for mistakes. However, Camp Nou has been a fortress for Barcelona as of late, and I’m not sure the Reds have the talent they need for a road upset.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I see Liverpool making a game of this and even putting a road goal in the back of the Barcelona net to make the tie interesting. However, I also see Barcelona getting the finishing touches they need to win the game at home. I predict a final score of Barcelona 2, Liverpool 1.