Barcelona will have to work on their confidence as this is not the end of the road for the Spanish champions this season.
Barcelona had their dreams shattered on Wednesday night when Juventus held them to a goalless draw in the second leg to knock them out 3-0 on aggregate. Catalans failed to pull off a repeat miracle comeback against the Juventus after emerging 6-5 aggregate victors against PSG in the previous round.
Wednesday’s loss at the Camp Nou left Lionel Messi muted while Neymar was reduced to tears at the final whistle. That summed up the mood of the side that were the Champions League winners in 2015.
Blaugrana will have to work on their confidence as this is not the end of the road for the Spanish champions this season. They are still in it for the title and face Alaves in the Copa del Rey final on May 27 at the Vicente Calderon.
The teams are in!
Barca v Juve live ➡️ https://t.co/ESDo46LqNM#UCL pic.twitter.com/Q1SApWWTdg
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 19, 2017
Messi dances past two Juve players, plays a one-two with Neymar and shoots from outside the box, it goes wide. Cuadrado then with another chance to score at the other end and drills a shot wide with a deflection.
Barcelona stand second in the La Liga table with a three point difference to leaders Real Madrid. However Los Blancos have a game in hand against Celta Vigo. With six games left to play, Luis Enrique, who will not be continuing with the club after this season, will be hoping that the tables turn for his side to lift the trophy once again.
Juventus blocked out Barcelona and stuck out the sword occasionally to keep them on their toes defensively. The number of crosses that Barcelona have put into the box over the course of this match will be well into double figures and the number of shots will also be somewhere close by. But, there was always a Juventus defender’s legs or Gianluigi Buffon’s hands that came in the way.
Juventus have got revenge for their Champions League final defeat. Meanwhile, Monaco, who qualified for this tournament through the playoffs have beaten Borussia Dortmund to go through to the last four. No German teams in the semi-finals this season.
Most crucial is their upcoming fixture against rivals and league leaders Real on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real, who earned a spot in the Champions League semifinals, look confident standing at the top of the table as they prepare to host their rivals for the much awaited El Clasico. Neymar, will however, miss the crucial match due to suspension. After the El Clasico, Barcelona is set to play with bottom placed Osasuna, Espanyol, Villareal, Las Palmas and Eibar.
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