Barcelona will hope to make home advantage count in the return after Lionel Messi and his team-mates drew a blank in Lyon on Tuesday, the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie ending in a goalless stalemate.
The Spanish side had most of the chances at the Groupama Stadium, with Luis Suarez firing just wide in the second half, but it was Lyon who came the closest when Martin Terrier hit the bar early on.
Ernesto Valverde’s side once again left frustrated on the road at the business end of the competition, and have now gone six away matches without winning in the Champions League knockout rounds, scoring just a single goal in that time. It is a run that goes back three years.
Desperate to end Real Madrid’s recent European dominance, Barca must now finish the job when the teams meet again at the Camp Nou on March 13, but Lyon remain very much in the tie.
Liverpool’s undermanned defence held out for a precious clean sheet but Bayern Munich will also be confident of progress to the Champions League quarter-finals after a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their last 16 tie at Anfield on Tuesday.
Sadio Mane wasted the best chance for the hosts when the Senegalese forward fired wide during an open first 45 minutes, but a cagey second half left it all to be decided when the sides meet again in Munich on March 13.
AFP
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