The Catalan giants head into the decisive fixture sitting ninth in the standings on 13 points, level with several sides above them, while Copenhagen occupy 26th place and are still fighting for a spot in the knockout round playoffs.
Barcelona’s Champions League campaign has been a mixture of attacking fluency and defensive vulnerability. Hansi Flick’s side have recorded four wins, one draw and two defeats from seven league-phase matches, scoring 18 goals but conceding 13 – a tally that ranks among the highest in the top half of the table.
As things stand, Barcelona would be forced into a playoff to reach the last 16, but they are level on points with Chelsea, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain, meaning a victory on Wednesday could yet be enough to propel them into the top eight, depending on results elsewhere. Flick’s message is therefore straightforward: win first, then let the permutations take care of themselves.
The hosts approach the contest in confident mood domestically, having beaten Real Oviedo 3-0 at the weekend to return to the summit of the La Liga table ahead of rivals Real Madrid. That result extended a strong run of form across all competitions and underlined the attacking depth at Flick’s disposal, even with several key midfielders sidelined.
Copenhagen, meanwhile, remain firmly in the qualification mix despite sitting in the bottom third of the table. The Danish champions have collected eight points from their seven matches and could still sneak into the playoffs with a famous win at Camp Nou, provided results elsewhere go in their favour.
Jacob Neestrup’s side have gathered momentum at the perfect time, taking seven points from their last three Champions League outings. Victories over Kairat and Villarreal, followed by a 1-1 draw away to Napoli despite playing much of the match with 10 men, have reignited belief.
The Lions have been on their winter break since early December, but they warmed up for this clash with a 3-2 friendly win over B.93 last week. History, however, favours Barcelona: the two previous Champions League meetings in 2010–11 ended in a 2-0 home win for the Blaugrana and a 1-1 draw in Denmark.
Injuries & Suspensions
Barcelona will again be without several key players. Ferran Torres, Gavi, Pedri and Andreas Christensen are sidelined through injury, while Frenkie de Jong is suspended after picking up a milestone yellow card against Slavia Prague.Marc Casado is expected to continue in midfield and could be partnered by Eric Garcia, while Gerard Martin may line up alongside Pau Cubarsi in central defence. Further forward, Dani Olmo could drop out of the starting XI, with Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha likely to support Robert Lewandowski in attack.
Copenhagen will be missing experienced midfielder Thomas Delaney, who is suspended following his red card against Napoli. Rodrigo Huescas and Magnus Mattsson are also unavailable due to injury, but Neestrup otherwise has a strong squad to choose from.
Jordan Larsson, who has eight goals and four assists in all competitions this season, is expected to play a key role in the visitors’ attack.
Possible starting lineups
Barcelona:J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde; E Garcia, Casado; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Copenhagen:
Kotarski; Meling, Gabriel, Suzuki, Lopez; Elyounoussi, Madsen, Claesson, Larsson; Cornelius, Dadason
Expert Prediction
Barcelona 3-1 Copenhagen
