Tuesday’s Champions League match between Barcelona and Juventus will feature the first meeting between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo since the Portugal forward left Real Madrid in 2018 to join the Italian champs.
Ronaldo missed the first match between the two teams in Turin – a 2-0 Barca win – after contracting the coronavirus but is available again for this week’s fixture at Camp Nou.
Messi, meanwhile, has been rested for Barca’s past two Champions League games with qualification for the round of 16 already secured, but Ronald Koeman said he will return to the squad to face Juve.
“Leo and [Ronaldo] are two fantastic players who’ve been great to watch for so long,” the Barcelona coach said in his pregame news conference.
“They are the best of the last 15 years. They have achieved so much success. They are different players but I admire them both. They have given us many great nights and I hope we enjoy them both [on Tuesday].”