Ajax followed up their elimination of Real Madrid by producing a spell-binding display of inventive, passing football to win 2-1 away to Juventus on Tuesday and end the Serie A team's dreams of winning the Champions League.
Ajax's 19-year-old captain Matthijs de Ligt headed the winner from the corner in the 67th minute of the quarter-final second leg as the Dutch side came from behind to clinch a 3-2 aggregate win and reach the last four for the first time since 1996/97.
Cristiano Ronaldo, aiming for a fourth successive Champions League title after winning the last three with Real Madrid, put Juventus ahead in the 28th minute with a typically emphatic header, his sixth goal of the competition.
But Donny van de Beek levelled six minutes later before the visitors swept Juventus aside in the second half with wave after wave of attacks as they earned a semi-final against Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of Barcelona vs Manchester United in the Champions League.
Miguel Delaney is in Barcelona for us this evening and wrote the following preview ahead of the match:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spent the last few days trying to whip his players up, but in a different way to recently, since there was something else he was trying to play down.
This time, as he sat in the Nou Camp press room, he just wasn’t getting into all the talk about 1999. When a Catalan journalist inevitably asked him about it ahead of Manchester United’s Champions League quarter-final second leg in Barcelona, Solskjaer came out with the following: “I don’t look back on that night too often.”
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Jonathan Liew is at Camp Nou tonight and, despite the magnetic lustre of Messi, Luis Suarez and co. who will attempt to wreak havoc in attack, it is Barcelona's often overlooked defence who United will find equally difficult to combat tonight.
The Camp Nou really is one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world...
There's been interest in Philippe Coutinho over the past few weeks as the transfer window start to kick into gear, but Barcelona have told potential suitors that the playmaker is not for sale.
And don't forget Juventus host Ajax tonight in another knife-edge tie. The Italian champions clung on to a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam, but were thoroughly outplayed. Can Ajax produce another performance of the same ilk tonight in Turin?
In a worrying story, the Dutch side will have to do without at least 54 of their travelling fans at the Allianz Stadium this evening after a group of supporters were found to be carrying weapons on arrival in Turin.
We've given plenty of love for Barcelona's palatial home already, but Juventus have their own 21st century cathedral of European football primed for a huge night of Champions League action:
Ernesto Valverde is a more pragmatist than romantic as a manager, and with the league virtually wrapped up the Barcelona manager opted to rest the entirety of his anticipated outfield lineup in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Huesca.
With Lionel Messi's facial injury but a flesh wound and no other fresh injury concerns, it seems likely we'll see the same eleven players who started the first leg on the team sheet when news emerges in the next 45 minutes or so.
Optimistic, methinks.
After such a fantastic start, Manchester United's momentum under Ole Gunner Solskjaer has rather stalled, injuries, suspensions and a general loss of form contributing to a slow puncture of a run that means the club are still moving forward, but slowing, certainly.
Solskjaer's charges were outplayed by West Ham on Saturday evening and fortunate to escape with three points, but they find themselves falling behind the pack in the race for the top four.
Underdogs certainly, the nature of tonight's fixture could just offer Manchester United the freedom they need to get back on track.
A feature of the first leg was the McTominaissance, Scott the Scot mature in midfield, far from overawed despite his relative inexperience at this level and indifferent season.
You suspect McTominay will be further tested in a defensive capacity this evening, if, indeed, he keeps his place, with Nemanja Matic back amongst things and ready for selection.
And will Solskjaer stick with the five-at-the-back, the loaded-up left side that worked, somewhat, in keeping Barcelona quiet?
While seemingly a measure designed to combat Lionel Messi, regular viewers of the Catalans will know that Messi is inhabiting the wider confines less and less and pounces on the defensive vulnerabilities an unfamiliar formation can reveal, as shown by the first-leg winner, capitalising Luke Shaw's discomfort in being the deepest man.
I'd be picking a four and providing extra reinforcement through the middle.
Switching to affairs in Turin, briefly, the standout star of the first leg was undoubtedly Frenkie de Jong, who will of course be pulling on a Barcelona shirt from the summer. The wickedly talented de Jong displayed all his prodigious qualities in a virtuoso performance in midfield, and thus Ajax will be concerned that a hamstring injury suffered 22 minutes into their intervening Eredivisie game with Excelsior may rule him out.
A shame for viewers, too, for de Jong is truly wonderful to watch, such grace, calm and poise in a midfield role that he has the potential to redefine. And yes, he is that good.
Jack Pitt-Brooke is in Turin for tonight's fixture, and rather enjoyed a working excursion into the city centre yesterday:
Back to Barcelona, then, and there is a real feeling that the club think this is their year, a yearning on the part of Lionel Messi to underline his legacy with another Champions League, sick at the successes of Real Madrid in recent years.
It is a squad sculpted around Messi, of course, and they have recruited well to that end, Clement Lenglet and Arthur fulfilling specific briefs ahead of more experienced campaigners at this level. Of their likely lineup, only really Philippe Coutinho is out of form. They are not the all-conquering force that some prompt them to be, and there are flaws in Ernesto Valverde's conservative approach, but they seem well set up to grind out a home win at the very least and progress.
And the team news for tonight's fixtures is just about to roll in...
Team News - Juventus vs AJAX
Big news for the Dutch side - Frenkie de Jong is fit and starts.
Team News - Barcelona vs MANCHESTER UNITED
It is a back four, seemingly, for Manchester United, Ashley Young at left-back, Phil Jones at right-back. Alexis Sanchez and Nemanja Matic return to the bench.
Team News - BARCELONA vs Manchester United
Just the one change from the first leg for Barcelona. Nelson Semedo is out, Sergi Roberto is in.
The confirmed team news from the Camp Nou:
Barcelona XI: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Piqué, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Arthur; Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Philippe Coutinho
Manchester United XI: David De Gea; Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young; Fred, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba; Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford
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