Prediction: Barcelona vs Roma

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 1/4

Bookmaker: bet365

In the grand scheme of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, this seems like the biggest ‘slam dunk’ of them all in terms of who will come out on top. Barcelona are on fire right now and have been throughout the season, as evidenced by pretty much every performance they’ve put in over the last few months. On the other hand, Roma are on the outside of the Serie A title race looking in at Juventus and Napoli who continue to pull away from the rest of the pack.

Barcelona

As we just alluded to, Barca are well on their way to ousting bitter rivals Real Madrid as the top club not only in Spanish football, but also in the entirety of Europe. Their defence is gelling, the midfield looks stronger than ever, and their attacking force led by Lionel Messi continues to defy all forms of logic. With the first leg being at the Nou Camp, they’ll be looking to make a big statement as they attempt to build a large lead heading into the second leg in Rome.

Team News

Busquets could well return from his broken foot, although Lucas Digne will not be available for selection.

Roma

Roma’s surge for European glory has left them on the outside of the ‘elite’ clubs over the last few decades, although they always seem to be hanging around towards the latter stages of European competitions. Unfortunately they’ve often been viewed as nothing more than gatekeepers, with fellow Italian club Juventus being the ones who tend to make it further in the tournament. Still, if they put on a solid defensive display, anything is possible.

Team News

Nainggolan has been included in the squad and could well feature, although Cengiz Under has been ruled out.

Factors to Consider

• Barcelona are considered by many to be the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
• In their last five games each, they’ve kept a combined seven clean sheets – three for Roma, four for Barcelona.
• Roma are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions, meanwhile, Barca are unbeaten in seventeen.
• In their competitive head to head record they both have one win each, along with two draws.
• Roma have played six UCL games against Spanish clubs in the last three years, drawing two and losing four.

Conclusion

While Roma could always go out and frustrate Barca, the Catalan giants are just too effective going forward. We can actually see the visitors pinching an away goal to take into the second leg, but we’ll still go with a relatively convincing 3-1 triumph for the favourites.

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 1/4

Bookmaker: bet365