Liverpool vs Barcelona: Analysing both teams' market values

It will be a mouthwatering clash between the two sides who have established themselves as European heavyweights over time.

Just like every time, the Champions League this season brought along some really startling moments that will be cherished for years to come. Before the start of the season, who would have expected a youthful Ajax Amsterdam side to defeat the likes of European giants Real Madrid and Juventus.

On the other hand, it was just another Champions League classic between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, which saw the former team progress to the next stage in an exhilarating way.

Ahead of yet another classic fixture, between Liverpool and Barcelona in the semifinals, we compare the market values of the two teams, who can be considered as some of the most established sides in Europe.

MARKET VALUES- Goalkeepers

Regarded as the joint-most valued keeper in the market, Marc- Andre ter Stegen, has retained his position this season as Barcelona’s number one, starting each and every game in the La Liga and missing just one in the Champions League.

The German shot-stopper has justified his value so far, having kept 22 clean sheets this season in all competitions, with five of them coming from the European competition.

On the other hand, Alisson Becker proved that he is worth every penny Liverpool paid for his signature, in his first season itself. Since his £66.8 million arrival from Roma, the Brazilian has started every single game for the Reds in both Premier League as well as Champions League whilst conceding just 29 goals in the process.

The two custodians will have a great job to do when their sides clash in the semifinals as the game will see some of the most in-form attackers in the world in the current scenario.

MARKET VALUES- Defenders

Recently announced the PFA Player of the Year, Virgil van Dijk has been an immense defender for Liverpool since he arrived last January. Analysing the Dutchman’s performance this season in all competitions, even his huge £75 million transfer fee sounds like a bargain.

MARKET VALUE | Defenders

MARKET VALUE			MARKET VALUE
£60.5m	Jordi Alba	Virgil van Dijk	£68.4m
£60.5m	Samuel Umtiti	T. Alexander-Arnold	£43.2m
£56.1m	Sergi Roberto	Andy Robertson	£43.2m
£43.2m	Clement Lenglet	Joe Gomez	£30.2m
£34.5m	Gerard Pique	Joel Matip	£17.2m
£34.5m	Nelson Semedo	Dejan Lovren	£17.2m
£289.3m	TOTAL	TOTAL	£219.4m

                  (Data from transfermarkt.co.uk)

Not to forget that the Reds are equally blessed with Andrew Robertson and Trent-Alexander Arnold as their full backs, who carry a hefty £43.2 million market value tag each. Delivering a combined 24 assists in all competitions, the duo has been a key creator of goals for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Meanwhile for Barcelona, the back four of Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Sergi Roberto has remained constant for majority of the season. Alba has become their joint-most valuable player at £60.5 million along Samuel Umtiti - who sees himself fallen down the pecking order under Ernesto Valverde.

Erstwhile, £34.5 million-valued Nelson Semedo is another frequent starter in the defence for the Blaugrana, who is generally used as an under-study of Roberto.

With star-studded defences of the two sides, their clash with each other’s equally deadly attacks will be worth watching.

MARKET VALUES- Midfielders

At Anfield, all eyes will be on £86.4 million-rated former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho, who is supposed to take the centre stage for Barcelona in the clash. Overall, the Spanish giants’ midfield weighs up to approximately £270 million, which includes the likes of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Carles Alena and Arthur Melo.

This figure clearly exceeds by a considerable margin when compared to the combined market value of Liverpool’s midfielders, which amounts up to only £201 million. The Reds’ highest valued midfielder Naby Keita has picked up a superb form of late and will be the key man during the clash alongside the experienced James Milner and Jordan Henderson.

Meanwhile, the return of £34.5 million-rated Alex Oxlade Chamberlain from a long-term injury serves as a great positive for the Reds as they take on Barcelona.

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MARKET VALUES- Forwards

The difference between the market values of Mohamed Salah and Lionel Messi, the talismanic forwards of the two sides, is surprisingly as less as £10 million. In an overall comparison of the market values of the forwards of the two sides, though, it can be observed that there is a difference of around £90 million, which is quite vast.

This suggests that the squads are certainly not balanced with respect to their forwards’ market values, however, while on the pitch, it will be a different scenario altogether. Liverpool will once again rely on its in-form attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Salah and on the other hand, Barcelona will be expecting yet another masterclass from Messi.

MARKET VALUE | Strikers

MARKET VALUE			MARKET VALUE
£138.2m	Lionel Messi	Mohamed Salah	£129.6m
£103.6m	Ousmane Dembele	Sadio Mane	£73.4m
£51.8m	Luis Suarez	Roberto Firmino	£69.1m
£34.5m	Malcom	Xherdan Shaqiri	£21.6m
£6.9m	K. Prince-Boateng	Daniel Sturridge	£12.9m
		Divock Origi	£8.6m
£335m	TOTAL	TOTAL	£245.5m
£979.2m	FINAL TOTAL	FINAL TOTAL	£729m

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                 (Data from transfermarkt.co.uk)

In conclusion, it could be asserted that the two sides have fine margins of difference in their market values of players at each positions. Barcelona's overall squad value clearly exceeds that of Liverpool's and it might give them superiority on paper, however, the Reds' current form is something they cannot simply ignore.