Barcelona vs Tottenham Hotspur 12/12/18

12 December 2018

Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur will face-off at Camp Nou in massive midweek’s Champions League clash which the visitors have to win to boost their chances of reaching the knockout stage.

Unbeaten in Europe so far, the reigning La Liga champions have already secured their place in the round of 16, as they top Group B with a record of four wins and one draw. What’s more, the Catalan giants have clinched both triumphs at home in the Champions League thus far without conceding a goal. Led by Leo Messi, the Blaugrana demolished PSV Eindhoven by four goals to nil before wrapping up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Inter Milan. Furthermore, Ernesto Valverde’s players have wholly outplayed Mauricio Pochettino’s men at the Wembley Stadium in their first encounter this campaign, pulling off an outstanding 4-2 win. The only problem Valverde has to deal with is that his players have struggled to keep a clean sheet six times in their last eight competitive games.

Meanwhile, the visitors come into this meeting following two consecutive Premier League triumphs over Southampton and Leicester City in which they have scored five while conceded just one goal. The Spurs’ impressive road form could be a major influence in this encounter. Mauricio Pochettino’s players have secured seven wins on their last nine road trips, having lost to Arsenal while being held to PSV in the process. However, both Tottenham’s Champions League victories have arrived at the home, with the Premier League outfit failing to wrap up all three points against both Inter and PSV thus far. The Spurs have also failed to keep a clean sheet in the Champions League in their opening four matches before beating the Nerazzurri 1-0 at home last time out.

Provisional line-up – Barcelona:

Gk: Marc-Andre ter Stegen Defense: Pique – Vermaelen – Semedo – Jordi Alba Midfield: Sergio Busquets – Arthur Melo – Denis Suarez Attack: Coutinho – Messi – Luis Suarez

Provisional line-up – Tottenham Hotspur:

Gk: Lloris Defense: Vertonghen – Alderweireld – Rose – Walker-Peters Midfield: Eric Dier – Sissoko – Dele Alli – Eriksen Attack: Heung-min Son – Harry Kane