“The final before the final”, as most would call it, between Barcelona and Liverpool in the Champions League takes places tonight at the Camp Nou, in the heart of Catalunya. This tactical analysis preview will try to decipher how things could play out when these two giants of the footballing world meet, and make a bold prediction at the end.

Looking back a bit at the previous meetings between the two, neither team really has a clear advantage over the other. Back in the 70s, the tandem met twice, once in March and once in April of 1976 with the earlier encounter went into the Reds’ favour, and the latter ending in a 1-1 stalemate.

Stepping into the new century and into modern football, the Reds have accumulated two victories, one in 2001 in the UEFA Cup, and then one in 2007 in the Champions League at this very stadium.

Barcelona also have two to their name, and interestingly enough, both happened in the same years as Liverpool’s victories: one in 2001 and the other in 2007. The matches in 2002 and in April of 2001 ended as draws, one in the Champions League and one in the UEFA Cup. But this is not the only thing connecting these two teams.

To read the full tactical breakdown – click here


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