UEFA Youth League semi-finalist: Barcelona
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Article summary
An exciting Barcelona side will head to Switzerland striving to emulate their class of 2014 and join Chelsea as two-time winners of the UEFA Youth League.
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Pedigree
Inaugural UEFA Youth League winners three years ago, when Munir El Haddadi scored one of the goals of the UEFA season against Benfica with a shot from inside his own half, Barcelona are back among the final four.
The Blaugrana's challenge faltered in the quarter-finals last season, while Anderlecht ended their reign at the round of 16 stage in 2015.
Road to Nyon
Barcelona's dazzling attacking displays took them to the top of Group C with five wins from six games. Borussia Dortmund were then beaten 4-1 in the round of 16, an encounter memorable for a stunning individual goal by Jordi Mboula. The 18-year-old further enhanced his reputation with a match-clinching penalty in the quarter-finals against Porto.
Coach: Gabri
Catalonian Gabri spent seven years in Barça's first team, winning the 2006 UEFA Champions League before seeing out his playing days in Switzerland. He joined Barça's youth set-up after retiring in 2015.
Key players
Jordi Mboula: A runner-up with Spain at the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Mboula has pace to burn. The winger comes into finals weekend as the joint second top scorer in this season's competition with seven goals, the pick of them undoubtedly his effort against Dortmund that sent social media into a frenzy.
Oriol Busquets: Busquets plays in the same position as his namesake in the Barcelona first team, Sergio. The central midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, Oriol has featured in seven of the Azulgrana's eight UEFA Youth League fixtures this term and was a team-mate of Mboula at the U17 EURO finals in Baku last May.
