Barcelona have it all to do against Juventus if the Spanish champions are to make the semi-finals of the Champions League this season.
Indeed, a 3-0 defeat in last week's quarter-final first leg in Turin has left Luis Enrique's side all but out of the competition.
Barcelona performed heroics in the last round against Paris Saint-Germain, however, and will be looking for a similar performance in front of their own supporters on Wednesday night.
Barcelona
© SilverHub
Barcelona's quarter-final record in the European Cup is won 14 and lost four, but that will become five defeats at this stage unless they can perform a minor miracle on home soil in the second leg of their last-eight affair with Juventus.
The Spanish champions were outclassed in the first leg of their last-16 tie away to PSG – losing 4-0 in Paris – but managed to create Champions League history in the return as they won 6-1 at Camp Nou to incredibly march into the next round.
Enrique's side have won all 15 home games in the Champions League since the Spaniard took charge, while they are unbeaten in their last 20 European games at Camp Nou, which is a record that stretches back to September 2013.
They have also won eight of their 11 two-legged ties against Italian opposition, but will need to score at least three times without reply against one of the meanest defences in the world to stand a chance of making the final four.
There is some hope for the Catalan outfit, however, who recorded a 6-1 win over Roma on the last occasion that they welcomed Italian opposition to Camp Nou, with that particular fixture coming in last season's group stage.
Barcelona are also unbeaten in their last 12 home matches against teams from Serie A – recording nine wins in the process. There are genuine concerns over their defence at the moment, however, which has shipped seven goals in the last three matches.
Barcelona did manage to record a 3-2 win over Real Sociedad at the weekend to keep their La Liga title hopes alive, but it was another lacklustre performance from the Spanish giants.
Enrique would have wanted to go out in a blaze of glory this summer, but with Real Madrid in charge of La Liga and Juventus the overwhelming favourites in this tie, the Spaniard's parting gift might well be only the Copa del Rey title.
Recent form: LWWLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWLLW
Juventus
© AFP
Despite their domination in Serie A, Juventus have not actually won the European Cup since 1996, which is too long for a team with such history and standing in the European game.
This is Juventus's 17th European Cup quarter-final, and they have won 11 of the previous 16. Massimiliano Allegri's side breezed into the knockout round of the competition – conceding just twice – before recording a 3-0 aggregate victory over Porto to make the final eight of the competition once again.
The Serie A giants would have been wary of Barcelona in last week's first leg, but the Italian champions dominated from start to finish, with a double from Paulo Dybala and header from Giorgio Chiellini securing a very impressive 3-0 success.
Not only have Juventus won all four away fixtures in this season's competition, they have kept three clean sheets in the process – scoring 10 times and conceding just once. Meanwhile, they have won 34 of the 42 UEFA competition ties where they triumphed in the first leg on home soil.
Juventus have also already tasted success in Spain this season – recording a 3-1 victory at Sevilla in the group stage. They have actually lost 15 of their 24 European ties in Spain, although the 3-0 advantage gained from the first leg has given them some serious breathing space at Camp Nou.
Allegri's side have only lost one of their last 19 games in all competitions – recording 16 wins in the process. A 2-0 victory at Pescara on Saturday afternoon saw them move eight points clear of second-placed Roma in Serie A, and they are very well-placed to win their 33rd Serie A crown.
It has been a frustrating few seasons in the Champions League for Juventus, but they have been very impressive during the 2016-17 campaign, and it appears that the Italian giants are ready to land their first European crown in over a decade.
Recent form: DWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WDLWWW
Team News
© Getty Images
Sergio Busquets missed last week's first leg through suspension, but the Spain international will return to the Barcelona XI for the return fixture.
Neymar is also available after missing the Sociedad match through a domestic ban, but Javier Mascherano is again expected to miss out with the calf problem that he suffered in the first leg last week.
Enrique has also been tipped to scrap his 3-4-3 formation in favour of a 4-3-3, leaving Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in the final third, with Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic providing support from a deeper position. Jordi Alba, meanwhile, is also expected to start after being left out of the first leg last week.
As for Juventus, head coach Allegri has no fresh injury concerns from his team's 2-0 win at Pescara on Saturday afternoon.
Chiellini, Dani Alves and Alex Sandro all sat out the Serie A clash, but all three are expected to return to the away side's XI at Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, Dybala, who scored twice in the first leg last week, will again provide support to Gonzalo Higuain in the final third of the field.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon; Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Mandzukic, Dybala, Cuadrado; Higuain
Head To Head
Wednesday will be the ninth European meeting between these two teams. Both sides have recorded three wins apiece, while two fixtures have finished level. They actually met in the 2015 Champions League final, and it was Barcelona that landed the crown in Berlin courtesy of a 3-1 success.
The pair also met at the quarter-final stage of the 2002-03 competition, and it was Juventus that progressed courtesy of a 3-2 aggregate success. The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Turin, before Juventus won 2-1 after extra-time at Camp Nou to make the semi-finals.
As discussed, last week, in their first meeting since the 2015 final, Juventus recorded a 3-0 victory courtesy of a double from Dybala and header from Chiellini.
We say: Barcelona 2-1 Juventus
Barcelona performed heroics in the last round against PSG, but we are finding it very difficult to predict a similar outcome against Juventus. The Italian champions know what it takes to negotiate ties in this mould, and we are backing the visitors to make the semi-finals despite losing on the night.
Matt Law
