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The departure of Neymar Junior to Paris Saint Germain, a threatening crisis, and the Supercopa de Espana humiliation was not enough to stop Barcelona from having a successful campaign last term.
La Blaugrana won the LaLiga title convincingly, edging out Atletico Madrid by a whopping 14 points as well as going unbeaten during their first 36 matches during the campaign. They also won the Copa Del Rey trophy in style, defeating Sevilla 5-0 in the final to summarise another successful term in the Catalan capital.
However, despite their brilliance at domestic level, the Catalans fell short in Europe once again. After raising their hopes by defeating Chelsea in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, La Blaugrana suffered another humiliation as they were knocked out by Roma in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
That was the third consecutive year Barcelona failed on the European stage and that has made winning the Champions League a priority for this season.
As a matter of fact, the Catalans are not taking it lightly, having signed a number of top players to bolster their chances of winning the competition this term.
With the club now having more incredible superstars in their ranks, lets take a look at 5 players who could inspire them to claim the coveted trophy this season:
#5. Arthur Melo
Brazilian youngster, Arthur Melo is one of the fantastic superstars that switched to Barcelona recently. Having agreed on a deal with Gremio to sign the player since January, the Catalans finally completed a move for the 22-year-old and lured him to the Nou Camp this summer.
Arthur is a typical Barcelona midfielder with great technical quality and immense talent. He is a good manipulator of the ball, capable of picking out the right passes and penetrating opposition defenses to create chances for his teammates to score.
Apart from his ability to dictate play from the middle of the pitch, the Brazilian also has the incredible knack to step forward and find the net at vital moments.
Following a couple of strong performances from the playmaker during the International Champions Cup (preseason), Arthur has earned Ernesto Valverde's trust for the new campaign and he will definitely play a huge role in the club's mission to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
#4. Ousmane Dembele
Following an underwhelming campaign with Barcelona amidst injury concerns last season, Ousmane Dembele will be looking forward to establishing himself at the Nou Camp this term. The Frenchman was signed as a replacement for Neymar in 2017, but a couple of injuries were enough to disrupt his progress at the club.
With his injury crisis now behind him, it is time for Barcelona to reap the rewards of their investment. Dembele will be a great asset to the Catalan giants this season, with his ability to get past opposition defenders to create clear-cut chances and score fantastic goals.
Linking up with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez up front, the 21-year-old will also help Barcelona to regain their attacking strength.
With his fantastic stunner that sealed the Spanish Super Cup victory for Barcelona recently, Dembele has proved to us that he is capable of deciding big games and that will really help La Blaugrana in their bid to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
#3. Arturo Vidal
A great warrior and an incredible superstar, former Juventus and Bayern Munich midfielder, Arturo Vidal will also play a huge role to help Barcelona in their mission to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
After joining the Catalans from Bayern Munich this summer, there is no doubt the Chilean will bring a lot to the Nou Camp during the campaign. As a matter of fact, his incredible qualities will definitely improve the club dramatically in several areas.
Vidal is a great warrior with a strong mentality, covers a lot of ground and never disappears away from the pitch. His attitude, experience, and physicality will be needed by Barcelona as they aim to claim the UEFA Champions League trophy this term.
#2. Philippe Coutinho
Philippe Coutinho became Barcelona's record signing when he left Liverpool for Camp Nou in January. Although he did impress domestically, the playmaker was not allowed to represent the club in the Champions League, having represented The Reds earlier in the tournament.
This term, the playmaker will get the opportunity to line up for Barcelona in the European competition. Forming part of an incredible midfield trio alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, the Brazilian will definitely run riot in the middle of the pitch.
Coutinho is a technically gifted midfielder, capable of bamboozling opposition defenders using his electrifying dribbling skills. He is very creative, able to set his teammates free by sending fantastic passes into the box.
The attacker will also be effective against opponents that sit back to defend, with his incredible ability to find the net from long range.
#1. Lionel Messi
Once again, Barcelona's hopes of winning the UEFA Champions League will rest on the shoulder of one man - Lionel Messi. Simply indispensable and insurmountable, it is very difficult to imagine La Blaugrana winning the European trophy without their talismanic forward.
After leading the Catalans to claim both the La Liga title and the Copa Del Rey trophy last term, the Argentine will step up once again to spearhead the team in their European quest.
The playmaker has been Barcelona's best player in the Champions League for the past few years, bagging incredible numbers of goals, producing plenty of assists and that will definitely continue this season.
As the captain of the team, Messi's role will be more than scoring goals and creating chances. The attacker will also be charged with the responsibility of keeping the team together on the pitch, inspiring his teammates and producing magical moments to decide the fate of games.
