Barca eye victory, Atletico fear embarrassing exit

TURIN, Italy: Juventus star Paulo Dybala has rediscovered his scoring form just in time to renew his rivalry with fellow Argentina Lionel Messi as Juventus face Barcelona in Wednesday’s (today’s) Champions League clash.
Barcelona lead Group D by three points with two rounds to go, and Ernesto Valverde’s side need only a draw to advance as group winners.Messi scored two goals to help Barcelona to a comfortable 3-0 win over Juventus, last season’s finalists, at the Nou Camp in September.
He then scored a hat-trick in Ecuador to carry Argentina through to the 2018 World Cup.Dybala was on the substitute’s bench in Quito but the 24-year-old will be on the field in Turin where a win will ensure Juventus reaches the knockout rounds.
He made a record-setting start to the Serie A season with 10 goals in six games before suffering a dip in form.Since arriving in Turin from Palermo in 2015, the player dubbed “The Jewel” has scored 56 goals in 112 games. But he has yet to open his tally in Europe this term.
Messi has hit three in the Champions League this season to join Ronaldo in the exclusive club of players who have scored 100 goals in European competition.Barca are in top form having won 11 and drawn one of 12 domestic matches this season to sit four points ahead of Valencia in La Liga.
Juventus, after their setback at Sampdoria, are third in Serie A.Meanwhile, twice finalists in the past four seasons, Atletico Madrid are staring an embarrassing and financially damaging Champions League exit in the face unless they beat an in-form Roma.
Even victory over the Group C leaders and away to Chelsea in two weeks may not be enough to save Atletico unless Azerbaijani Champions League debutants Qarabag can also do them a favour by taking points off one of Chelsea or Roma in their final two games.
In Diego Simeone’s glorious reign as boss, only Real Madrid have previously been capable of eliminating Atletico from the Champions League. They have twice dumped out Barcelona and beat Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich en route to the 2016 final.
Bayern Munich too have woes out wide as they gun for a victory at Anderlecht with left-backs David Alaba and Rafinha both injured.
Alaba has twisted his back and Rafinha has a knock to an ankle, sidelining them for a game which Bayern need to win to keep up the pressure on Group B leaders Paris Saint-Germain.Bayern head coach Jupp Heynckes will have to re-arrange his defence after resting Alaba and playing Brazilian international Rafinha at left-back in Saturday’s 3-0 win at home to Augsburg.
Bayern are already missing long-term absentees, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and winger Franck Ribery, while Germany forward Thomas Mueller has only just recovered from a leg injury.Having lost 3-0 to PSG in Paris in September, Bayern have only a slim chance of winning the group.
They are likely to go into the final group match needing to beat the French 4-0 in Munich unless PSG slip up against Celtic.The Bavarians are on a roll, winning all eight games since 72-year-old Jupp Heynckes replaced Carlo Ancelotti in late September.