Barcelona tore Roma apart in their first leg Champions League quarter-final clash by winning 4-1, leaving Roma with an impossible task in the second leg, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

Aided by two own goals and goals by Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez, the Catalans head into the second leg with a 4-1 aggregate lead. Despite a late away goal by Edin Dzeko, Barca remain in firm control.

Barcelona head into the game in fine form as another Lionel Messi hat-trick secured a 3-1 win over Leganes at the weekend, extending their lead at the top of the La Liga table. With Messi in such fine form, Eusebio Di Francesco’s team will need to be on top of their game to stop the Argentinian ace.

Roma, on the other hand, did not enjoy a successful weekend as they were beaten 2-0 at home by Fiorentina. That result leaves I Giallorossi 21 points away from Serie A table-toppers Juventus. After finishing second thrice out of the last four seasons Roma have endured a difficult campaign.

Roma may not be enjoying the best possible league campaigns, but they have impressed in the Champions League. The Rome-based side managed to qualify top of a group that included Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, which is no small feat.

Many people are giving Roma little hope of a turnaround and for good reason. They come up against a Barcelona side who have dominated La Liga this season as they sit 11 points clear of their closest competitors Atletico Madrid and look destined to secure a 25th La Liga title. They have also been in good form in the Copa del Rey, progressing to the final where they will face Sevilla, while in the Champions League they are yet to lose a match.

With a 4-1 aggregate lead, Ernesto Velverde’s team look on course to progress to another Champions League semi-final when they travel to take on Roma on Tuesday evening, with kick-off at 8:45 pm.

Photo: Alejandro Garcia/Backpagepix

Follow Dean Workman on Twitter: @DeanoWorks