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FULL-TIME, Barcelona 4-1 Roma: We weren’t great at all but we have a BIG lead to take to the Stadio Olimpico next week and if you can play badly and do that then you’re doing alright.
GOAL, Barcelona 4-1 (87’): Luis Suarez restores Barcelona’s three-goal lead late on. Substitute Denis puts the ball in and it falls to Suarez to fire home his first Champions League goal of the season.
GOAL, Barcelona 3-1 Roma (Dzeko, 80’): It’s been coming and finally Roma have an away goal. The ball is played into the box and Dzeko holds off Jordi Alba and slots pass Ter Stegen.
GOAL, Barcelona 3-0 Roma (Pique 59’): And now Barcelona really are in charge. Messi finds Suarez and while his shot is saved by Alisson it falls perfectly to Pique to tap home.
GOAL, Barcelona 2-0 Roma (Umtiti, 56’): Barcelona double their lead but again they need a huge slice of fortune. Ivan Rakitic crosses from the right and Samuel Umtiti gets on the end of it but he hits the post. The ball comes and out a mixture of Umtiti and Manolas bundle it home.
HALF-TIME, Barcelona 1-0 Roma: It hasn’t been great but Barca are ahead and that’s all that matters at this stage. The hosts have had more of the attacking play but aren’t at their sharpest although Ivan Rakitic did hit the post. De Rossi eventually gave Barca the lead with an own goal but hopefully Barca can improve after the break.
GOAL, Barcelona 1-0 Roma (38’): Barcelona are ahead and it’s yet another own goal. Daniele De Rossi is the unfortunate man, although you have to say it’s a fine finish.
30 min: Half an hour gone at a pretty subdued Camp Nou and Barcelona still in second gear. The hosts are just about on top but Roma are fairly comfortable. Here’s how the balance of play looks:
Barcelona have been on top at the Nou Camp, but Roma have not been without their moments.
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) April 4, 2018
Live #BARROM coverage: https://t.co/qrYCtFq1Ro#UCL #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/xupvbaRWlV
OFF THE POST (18’): Barcelona come sooooo close to taking the lead. This time it’s Ivan Rakitic but his shot across goal just kisses the far post and bounces out.
Goal, disallowed (7’): Luis Suarez has the ball in the back of the net but it won’t count. It’s completely offside, which is a real shame because it was a lovely finish.
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Roma: And we’re off! Come on Barca!
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; Roberto, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez
Substitutes: Cillessen, Vermaelen, Paulinho, Gomes, Denis, Dembélé, Alcácer
AS ROMA
Starting XI: Alisson; Peres, Fazio, Manolas, Kolarov; Pellegrini, De Rossi, Strootman; Florenzi, Dzeko, Perotti
Substitutes: Skorupski, Juan Jesus, Gonalons, Gerson, Defrel, El Shaarawy, Schick
Welcome to the Champions League quarterfinals! Barcelona start their journey for a place in the Final Four with the first leg against AS Roma. This game will take place at the Camp Nou and is crucial to Barça’s hopes in the competition.
Playing at the Stadio Olimpico is not easy and Roma rarely lose there, so getting a good result at home is pretty important. The Italians are not the strongest team left in this stage of the Champions League, but they still deserve a lot of respect and Barça must play their best game on Wednesday night to get a good lead ahead of the return match.
This promises to be a lot of fun, and Lionel Messi will be playing so you can’t miss it. And you can also stay here with us for the live blog!
(Editor’s note: Because of the size of our community, the comments could max out pretty quickly, especially on Champions League night. So the comments will stay closed until about an hour before kickoff, when the lineups come out. Join us then!)
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2017-18 UEFA Champions League, Quarterfinal 1st leg
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 4th, 2018, 8.45pm CET (Barcelona), 7.45pm GMT/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 2.45pm EST, 11.45am PST (USA), 12.15am IST (India, next day)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
How to watch on TV: Fox Sports 1 (USA), TSN3 (Canada), BT Sport 3 (UK), SuperSport 6 (Nigeria), SONY TEN 1 (India), others
How to stream: Fox Sports GO (USA), TSN GO (Canada), BT Sport Live (UK), FuboTV (7-day free trial, click here to sign up)
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, no swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do will be warned, and those who post links will be banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! VISCA EL BARÇA!