In normal circumstances, nobody would be giving Barcelona a chance of overturning their 3-0 first leg deficit to Juventus.
This, however, isn’t normal circumstances.
Only a few weeks ago, Barca overcame Paris Saint-Germain in their last 16 second leg, despite trailing 4-0 on aggregate at kick off and an away goal from Edinson Cavani.
This time though, there’s a sense that the size of their task against the Italian champions is simply too great, even for a team with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in their team. Being an Italian team, Juve know an thing or two about defending. Behind their defence, they also have one of the greatest goalkeepers the game of football has ever seen – Gianluigi Buffon.
Now 39, Buffon, who has never won the Champions League, will have a chance to reach the semi-finals of the competition when he takes to the field at the Nou Camp. But, as highlighted by BT Sport, his record in European competition doesn’t make pleasant reading for those expecting another Barcelona miracle.
Incredibly, in 147 games in Europe, Buffon has only conceded four goals or more on two occasions.
Gianluigi Buffon:
👕 147 European games
Times conceded four or more goals:
😳 Twice
The odds are stacked against Barcelona… pic.twitter.com/OxuOUp2LsJ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 19, 2017
Things aren’t looking great for Barca… although you won’t see us writing them off just yet.
Catch up with this week’s episode of 888Sport Football Friday Live
