Barcelona v Liverpool: Reds to Leave Rijkaard Red-Faced?

The Champions League returns to our screens this week and the pick of the match-ups has to be Barcelona v Liverpool. These teams both have a rich footballing history and are the most recent winners of the competition, with Barca triumphing in 2006 and Liverpool coming back from the brink to win in 2005. Nevertheless, the odds suggest that bookmakers expect the Catalan club to make it through to the last eight, despite the recent friction caused by the return of star striker Samuel Eto'o. Barcelona are a best-priced 4/11 (Stan James) to oust Liverpool from the competition, while the Reds can be taken at a very backable 23/10 (Sporting Odds). There's no question where the value lies, especially with the second leg taking place at Anfield. Rijkaard's men simply haven't played with the fluency of last season, in part due to the absence of Eto'o through injury. However, the Cameroonian caused a stir last weekend by refusing to be named as a substitute, giving the manager one of his toughest weeks since he took over at the Spanish giants. If you think that Barca will be galvanised by recent events, they're 8/13 (Paddy Power) to win Wednesday's first leg at the Nou Camp. There's no denying that home advantage in the second leg can be a significant factor and that's why Liverpool represent such good value to make it through. The same can be said about the 6/5 (Stan James) you can get on Valencia to qualify at the expense of Inter. The Spanish team won their qualifying group in impressive style and the goals of Villa and Morientes can make the difference against the defensive Italians.