Barcelona confirmed line-up vs Roma: Fans fume with Valverde over snub

Champions League
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Barcelona face Roma in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie in Italy on Tuesday night, but Ernesto Valverde’s line-up hasn’t gone down well.

The Catalan giants hold a commanding 4-1 lead from the first leg at the Nou Camp, albeit Edin Dzeko’s away goal has given the Serie A outfit a glimmer of hope.

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There is good news for the visitors as Sergio Busquets returns to the starting line-up despite being left out of the squad to face Leganes at the weekend. Meanwhile, Samuel Umtiti and Andres Iniesta come back into the side too after being rested.

However, there is no place for Ousmane Dembele in the team, as the 20-year-old has been forced to settle for a place on the bench in the Italian capital which seems to have frustrated many supporters, as seen in the tweets below.

The French international has been limited to just 15 games so far this season due to injury and poor form, but evidently he remains a popular figure with many wanting him in the line-up in order to showcase what he can offer.

Nevertheless, given Barcelona’s healthy lead in this tie, it seemingly makes more sense to go with Sergi Roberto to offer a bit more defensive protection, as although it’s dangerous to go out looking to defend the lead, Barca won’t want to concede any early goals to give their rivals belief.

A number of fans haven’t seen it that way though, and so it remains to be seen whether or not the decision backfires on Valverde, or if Dembele can come off the bench and make a positive impact to guide the La Liga leaders into the last four.

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