Roberto Firmino is only fit enough for a place on the bench as Liverpool face Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie this evening.

The Brazilian forward missed Friday night's 5-0 Premier League demolition of relegated Huddersfield Town with a muscle tear, but returned to training on Tuesday and did travel to Catalonia with his team-mates.

Jurgen Klopp said he would wait until Wednesday to decide whether or not Firmino is ready to return to the starting XI for such an important match, and has opted not to risk the forward.

Mohamed Salah starts for the Reds after worried social media rumours regarding a potential thigh injury proved unfounded, while Fabinho comes into midfield in place of Joran Henderson.

One surprise omission is Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, though Klopp may be opting for a more cautious approach with Joe Gomez starting in order to counter the devastating partnership of Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi on the left.

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The hosts have a near clean bill of health, with only Rafinha missing after undergoing knee ligament surgery in December.

Philippe Coutinho - whose form has been inconsistent since joining Barcelona for a club-record fee last January - gets the nod against his former club, with Ousmane Dembele still working his way back to full fitness.

Team news and starting line-ups

Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Vidal, Messi, Suarez, Coutinho

Subs: Cillessen, Semedo, Arthur, Dembele, Malcom, Umtiti, Alena

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum, Keita, Mane, Salah

Subs: Mignolet, Lovren, Firmino, Henderson, Shaqiri, Origi, Alexander-Arnold

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Welcome to Standard Sport's LIVE coverage of tonight's Champions League semi-final first leg between Barcelona and Liverpool! We have Ben Hayward and David Lynch at Camp Nou for expert analysis and coverage, and we will have all the latest team news and build-up to tonight's 8pm kick-off. There are some people, both in Spain and in England, that would have you believe that this is the first leg of the Champions League final tonight. That's more than a tad disrespectful to the brilliant Ajax side, who had already knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus before taking a 1-0 first-leg league away from their clash with Tottenham last night, and to Spurs themselves, who have dealt with Manchester City. Jurgen Klopp was among those to swat that theory aside, in his press conference yesterday, but there is no doubt that whoever progresses from this clash tonight will be favourites for the final in Madrid on 1 June... Some early injury news to bring you... Reports in the Catalan press are claiming that Roberto Firmino is struggling to prove his fitness for tonight's clash. The Brazilian striker missed Friday night's 5-0 win over Huddersfield, but Jurgen Klopp sounded hopeful of having him fit to play, but time will tell. Photo: PA Advertisement Liverpool CEO Peter Moore urges fans to show 'respect' after minor disturbances in Barcelona Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore has called on fans in Barcelona to "act in a manner befitting LFC" after minor disturbances in the city on Tuesday. Videos have circulated on social media apparently showing individual supporters, in different incidents, pushing locals into a fountain at Placa Reial, just off La Rambla. Later in the evening police cordoned off the square and forced all fans back on to the main tourist strip before walking them up the street to Placa de Catalunya, a main transport hub, where they dispersed. Getty Images Merseyside Police are understood to be aware of the existence of the video, as, apparently, is Moore. "We proudly sing that we've conquered all of Europe. But let's treat this beautiful city with the respect that it deserves, and act in a manner that is befitting of LFC," the Reds chief executive wrote on Twitter. "By all means have a good time, but we are Liverpool, and as such, let's visit here with grace and humility." On Tuesday, as thousands of fans began to arrive in the city for the Champions League semi-final first leg, Merseyside Police's dedicated Twitter account for LFC fans tweeted the advice: "Eat, drink and enjoy all areas in the city centre. Respect monuments." Klopp sticks with training ritual ahead of Barcelona clash Jurgen Klopp elected to stick with his recent habit of forgoing the opportunity to train at the opposition’s home ground during Champions League away trips.

Liverpool’s first-team squad visited Camp Nou on Tuesday evening prior to facing Barcelona in the first leg of the sides’ semi-final tie. Photo: Getty However, they did not take part in a session at the world-famous venue - choosing instead to continue with a routine that began in late November. However, they did not take part in a session at the world-famous venue - choosing instead to continue with a routine that began in late November.

Having suffered defeats in their first two away games in this competition this season, the Reds trained at Melwood prior to facing Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes.

While that fixture yielded yet another loss, Klopp’s team produced arguably their best performance on the road in Europe in 2018-19 up to that point.

And so, the German has put his players through their paces on Merseyside before flying out to the continent for games.

That has worked to good effect in the knockout stages, with Liverpool having beaten Bayern Munich and Porto 3-1 and 4-1 in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively.

And, having done the same ahead of tonight's game, Klopp will hope for a similar outcome at Camp Nou. Valverde calls on Barca fans to crank up the volume Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde hopes the Camp Nou faithful will give his side the edge against Liverpool and believes Jurgen Klopp is wrong to claim the stadium will not intimidate his team. Photo: Getty The 99,000-seater arena is the biggest stadium in Europe yet it does not have the same reputation for noise or unconditional support as Liverpool's Anfield. The 99,000-seater arena is the biggest stadium in Europe yet it does not have the same reputation for noise or unconditional support as Liverpool's Anfield.

After Liverpool coach Klopp said the Camp Nou is "just a stadium", Valverde urged the Barcelona supporters to turn up the volume in the game to help his side move towards a first Champions League final in four years.

"The fans at the Nou Camp have already played a decisive role this season. We've had over 90,000 fans at our last few games and we have felt the difference they made," Valverde told a news conference ahead of Wednesday's match.

"We expect the same tomorrow [Wednesday], and we know our fans will give us that extra push, just like Liverpool will get at Anfield. I think Klopp said that to cool the hype about the game, because it's just another game." Advertisement Predicted XIs: Barcelona vs Liverpool Liverpool prepare to face Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie this evening boosted by the return of Roberto Firmino. Photo: Liverpool FC The Brazilian forward missed Friday night's 5-0 Premier League demolition of relegated Huddersfield Town with a muscle tear, but returned to training on Tuesday and did travel to Catalonia with his team-mates. The Brazilian forward missed Friday night's 5-0 Premier League demolition of relegated Huddersfield Town with a muscle tear, but returned to training on Tuesday and did travel to Catalonia with his team-mates.

Jurgen Klopp said he would wait until Wednesday to decide whether or not Firmino is ready to return to the starting XI for such an important match, though the omens look good.

Mohamed Salah will definitely start for the Reds after worried social media rumours regarding a potential thigh injury proved unfounded, while Fabinho is also in contention after a head injury that ruled him out against Huddersfield.

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain now back in the fold after a long-term knee injury, Adam Lallana is likely to be Liverpool's only absentee against Barcelona.

The hosts also have a near clean bill of health, with only Rafinha missing after undergoing knee ligament surgery in December.

Philippe Coutinho - whose form has been inconsistent since joining Barcelona for a club-record fee last January - is expected to get the nod against his former club, with Ousmane Dembele still working his way back to full fitness.

Predicted line-ups: Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Arthur, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Coutinho Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Milner, Salah, Mane, Firmino TACTICS Barcelona vs Liverpool team news Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum, Keita, Mane, Salah



Subs: Mignolet, Lovren, Firmino, Henderson, Shaqiri, Origi, Alexander-Arnold TACTICS Barcelona vs Liverpool team news Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Vidal, Messi, Suarez, Coutinho Subs: Cillessen, Semedo, Arthur, Dembele, Malcom, Umtiti, Alena Advertisement Gomez starts, no Firmino Some big, big surprises in that team selection from Jurgen Klopp. Joe Gomez is in for his first start since returning from injury, and it looks like he'll be at right back because Trent Alexander-Arnold is dropped to the bench. Good luck working out how that midfield is going to shape up - Wijnaldum, Milner, Keita and Fabinho are all in, though no Jordan Henderson. Roberto Firmino is only fit enough for the bench, so Salah and Mane will lead the line as a pair it seems. ES COVERAGE Ben Hayward, our Spanish football correspondent, is at the Nou Camp There is one surprise in the Barcelona line-up for their Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Liverpool as Arturo Vidal starts ahead of Arthur. The Chilean’s inclusion suggests coach Ernesto Valverde is keen for extra aggression in midfield for the meeting with Jurgen Klopp’s side. As expected, Philippe Coutinho is preferred to Ousmane Dembele in attack, so the Brazilian starts against his former club. So too does Luis Suarez, with those two joined by Lionel Messi in Barca's forward line. Sergi Roberto is in at right-back over Nelson Semedo, who is on the bench along with Jasper Cillessen, Samuel Umtiti, Semedo, Carles Alena, Arthur, Dembele and Malcom. Photo: AFP ES COVERAGE Our Liverpool correspondent David Lynch is also in the Nou Camp It's perhaps no surprise to see Jurgen Klopp take a safety-first approach with Roberto Firmino, benching the Brazilian after doubts over his availability were raised by a groin injury. What is a surprise, however, is that the Liverpool manager hasn't turned to one of the direct replacements in his squad in Daniel Sturridge or Divock Origi. Instead, Klopp brings in an extra central midfielder in Fabinho, which could mean a return to 4-4-2 and Naby Keita playing off the left. Advertisement The Liverpool fans are making their way to the Camp Nou. Not long until kick-off now. Photo: Getty Just the 31 unbeaten Champions League home games for Barcelona. What would be a good result for Liverpool tonight? An away goal is surely so crucial. Photo: Getty The last time they were here. That golf swing and a famous European victory... Photo: Getty Advertisement Alexander-Arnold's absence is probably the biggest surprise in that Liverpool team, though you nay remember Jurgen Klopp doing something similar for the 0-0 draw with Man City at Anfield earlier in the season. This is Joe Gomez's first start since Burnley away in early December. Photo: Getty Will these two find a way to lead the newly crowned PFA Player of the Year, Virgil Van Dijk, a merry dance tonight? Photo: Reuters The two teams are in the tunnel at the Nou Camp. Lionel Messi about to lead Barcelona out for the 100th time as skipper. Advertisement KICK OFF KICK OFF! We are underway in Catalonia... ES COVERAGE David Lynch is at the Nou Camp The Liverpool fans tucked away in the Gods here at Camp Nou trying their best to make themselves heard but the home supporters are providing an electric atmosphere. What a game this is going to be. Next

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