This is the preparation that Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has put into Liverpool

Ernesto Valverde

The two teams go face-to-face in the first leg at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night and the Catalan club are considering using long-ball tactics to catch out the Reds.

ESPN FC has reported that Valverde has studied 24 Liverpool matches from this season, paying special attention to their games against City, which ended 2-1 to Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad and 0-0 at Anfield, when Riyad Marhez missed a late penalty.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.