Barcelona host Juventus at the Camp Nou for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter final clash on Wednesday night
The hosts will need to mount another miraculous comeback in order to progress to the semi-finals after being completely outclassed by Massimiliano Allegri’s side in the first leg, when Paulo Dybala scored a fine brace and Giorgio Chiellini added a rare goal to give the Bianconeri a huge 3-0 lead going into the return tie.
Barcelona have shown that they are more than capable of stunning comebacks after an enthralling round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, in which the Blaugranes overturned a 4-0 deficit to win 6-5 and progress to the next round.
Aleix Vidal and Rafinha are both unavailable for the rest of the season but ahead of the match, there were fears that Javier Mascherano could also miss out on the fixture after failing to train on Monday.
However, speaking before the game Barcelona manager Luis Enrique confirmed that Mascherano would be available while also highlighting the importance of the returning Sergio Busquets, after the Spaniard missed out on the first leg due to a suspension.
“Mascherano’s recovery is good news. He is in perfect shape and will be available for tomorrow,” he said. “Getting him back [Sergio Busquests] is always great news. He is one of the most tactically intelligent players there is and a key member for us. The more he can do, the better for us.”
“We have to get the fans involved in our game and our intensity. We need Camp Nou to bounce to experience another special evening. Many results at home and the recent comeback against PSG are statistics that invite optimism. So, we have to create a collective crazy atmosphere so our players can perform at their best.”
Juventus were also given an injury scare after Paulo Dybala picked up a minor ankle sprain over the weekend, however the Argentinian wizard is expected to be fully fit for the match against Barcelona.
Dybala was the star of the show in the first leg and Allegri will be hoping for more heroics from the 23-year old midfielder. Other than that, Allegri has everyone available for the quarter-final tie and is expected to name the same side as he did in the first leg.
