Barcelona for the first time in England since the drubbing at Anfield. Will it do better against United than Liverpool?

When the Barcelona footballers landed at Manchester Airport, some of them may have had some rather unpleasant memories. For the last time the Blaugranas were in England, it was a fiasco at Anfield Road.

It is certain that when the Barcelona squad arrived in Manchester yesterday, more than one member of the team remembered the 2018-19 season. That was when the Catalans came closest to achieving something significant in Europe since 2015.

That season, the Culés also visited Old Trafford – and advanced – but that triumph was buried by what happened at Anfield a few weeks later.

The stadium where Barcelona play tonight is 53 kilometres away from Liverpool’s fabled home ground. The last time the Blaugranas landed in England, they were a foot and a half into the Champions League final.

When the Barcelona players got on the plane, they were responsible for one of the biggest blunders in the club’s history. Messi and co. had thrashed Liverpool 3-0 in their first game at Camp Nou, and they could have scored a few more goals.

The Barcelona players entered the rematch at half throttle, knowing that they had promotion in the bag. But they miscalculated badly. The strength of Anfield Road energized the home team, they scored four goals and advanced to the final.

There are still a few witnesses of that hellish night in the Barcelona team. Ter Stegen, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets still have vivid memories of the duel with Liverpool.

Now Barcelona will be playing in England for the first time since that fiasco. And they must hope they don’t have to keep their heads down again on the way home.

Source: MARCA