Barcelona will look to strengthen their Champions League campaign when they visit Club Brugge on Wednesday night, hoping to reach nine points from their opening four matches. The Catalan giants currently sit ninth in the overall standings with six points, while Brugge are in 20th place after collecting just three points so far.
Club Brugge come into the match in confident mood after securing a 2-1 victory over Dender at the weekend, a result that kept them second in the Belgian Pro League, three points behind leaders Union SG. Nicky Hayen’s men are enjoying a run of three consecutive wins in all competitions, though their last defeat came in Europe—a heavy 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich on October 22.
The Belgian side began their Champions League campaign in fine form, defeating Monaco 4-1 at home, but subsequent losses to Atalanta and Bayern have slowed their progress. With three points from three games, Brugge are aiming to climb the table and keep their hopes alive of reaching at least the playoff round. Last season, they reached the round of 16 before being eliminated by Aston Villa, having beaten Atalanta in the knockout playoffs.
Barcelona, on the other hand, approach this fixture on the back of a 3-1 win over Elche, which lifted them to second place in La Liga, five points behind rivals Real Madrid. Under Hansi Flick, the Blaugrana have been building momentum after a mixed start to the season. Despite losing 2-1 to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in early October, they recorded victories over Newcastle United and Olympiacos, giving them six points from three matches in the competition.
Last season’s Champions League semi-finalists, Barcelona were narrowly edged out 7-6 on aggregate by Inter Milan, but they remain one of the tournament’s strongest contenders this term. Flick’s side will hope to string together back-to-back wins against Brugge and Celta Vigo before the upcoming international break, as they look to maintain form both domestically and in Europe.
After Wednesday’s encounter, Barcelona will face Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague and Copenhagen in the remaining fixtures of the league phase, and a win in Belgium would put them in an excellent position to qualify comfortably for the next round.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Club Brugge will head into Wednesday night’s clash missing four key players through injury, as Bjorn Meijer, Simon Mignolet, Ludovit Reis, and Raphael Onyedika are all ruled out of contention.
With Mignolet sidelined, Nordin Jackers is expected to retain his place in goal, while Christos Tzolis is set to feature in the final third once again. The Greek forward has been in outstanding form this season, contributing eight goals and eight assists in 21 appearances across all competitions, making him Brugge’s standout performer so far.
Nicolo Tresoldi will likely lead the line through the middle, having already registered six goals and three assists this campaign. His sharpness in front of goal will be crucial as Nicky Hayen’s side look to challenge the Catalan giants.
For Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo made successful returns from injury in Sunday’s 3-1 win over Elche, and both are expected to feature again. However, goalkeeper Joan Garcia remains unavailable despite recently returning to training.
Andreas Christensen took part in a light session on Monday but is still not ready for competitive action, with the club opting for a cautious approach to his calf recovery. Meanwhile, 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal is managing a minor groin issue but is expected to start against Brugge.
Barcelona continue to be without Gavi (knee), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back), Raphinha (hamstring), and Pedri (hamstring), all of whom remain long-term absentees.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi, who was an unused substitute at the weekend, is in line to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s Champions League encounter.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Jackers; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Seys; Forbs, Audoor, Stankovic, Vanaken, Tzolis; Tresoldi
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; F Torres
EXPERT PREDICTION
Club Brugge 1-3 Barcelona
