TEAM NEWS
Home fans jeered him as he came off to be replaced by Ivan Rakitic following an ineffective display in the 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Philippe Coutinho might start for Barcelona in Wednesday’s finely-balanced Champions League tie against Lyon, despite being booed last weekend. Coutinho could replace Ousmane Dembele who suffered a hamstring strain, although Malcom is another option.
Defender Thomas Vermaelen remains sidelined with a thigh problem. Barca will have to win the home leg after the first leg of their last-16 encounter in Lyon ended goalless.
Influential attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir is set to return for Lyon having been suspended for the first leg. The 25-year-old has scored 12 goals for the Ligue 1 club this season.
Team-mate Martin Terrier said: “When Nabil is on the field, we know what to expect, he’s a great player who gives us reassurance. He has already shown his importance on the European scene.”
Pique says players back Coutinho
Coutinho, 26, became Barca’s record signing in January 2018 when he signed from Liverpool for £142m.
However, he has yet to replicate the kind of form he showed at Anfield which made him a number one target for the Spanish champions. This season he has managed eight goals in 39 appearances for the La Liga champions, although he has not found the net in the past nine matches.
“Philippe is having a good season, but obviously his price tag was very big and this means there are bigger expectations about his performances,” Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said. “You have to accept the reaction of the supporters because they are our fans, but inside the dressing room the players give him all the support in the world.”
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- 68% of teams to have drawn 0-0 away from home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie have ended up progressing to the next round (21 out of 31).
- Barcelona have won all three of their home matches against Lyon in the Champions League, scoring 10 goals and conceding only two.
- Barcelona and Lyon are unbeaten in this season’s Champions League. In fact, Lyon have drawn each of their last six games, equalling the record for most consecutive draws in a single Champions League season held by AEK Athens (2002-03) and Glasgow Rangers (2005-06).
- Barcelona will attempt to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the 12th consecutive season – a record, last failing at the last-16 stage in 2006-07 against Liverpool. Meanwhile, Lyon last made the final eight in 2009-10.
Barcelona
- Since losing 3-0 to Bayern Munich at Camp Nou on 1 May 2013, Barcelona have won 26 of their 29 home games in the Champions League (D3).
- All five goals conceded by Barcelona in this season’s Champions League have come in the second half, including three in the final 10 minutes.
- Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has scored 60 goals in 60 Champions League games at Camp Nou. However, he’s failed to contribute a goal (either scoring or assisting) in eight of his last 11 home/away knockout games in the competition.
- Metz are the only French side to beat Barcelona at Camp Nou in European competition, in the first round of the Cup Winners’ Cup in October 1984 (4-1). In the Champions League, no French club has ever kept a clean sheet at Camp Nou (nine games), with Paris St-Germain being the only side to avoid defeat (1-1 in March 1995, April 2013).
Lyon
- Lyon have lost seven of their last nine Champions League knockout games away from home (D2), including each of the last four without scoring a single goal.
- Lyon’s two shots on target in the first leg against Barcelona were in the opening 10 minutes whilst their last shot of any kind came in the 52nd minute. Meanwhile, none of Barcelona’s 25 shots found the net, with only one of Messi’s nine attempts testing goalkeeper Anthony Lopes.
- Suspended in the first leg against Barcelona, Nabil Fekir will be making his return for Lyon – he’s scored in each of his two Champions League away games this season and is unbeaten in his last eight games in the competition with the French club (W2 D6).