01 November 2021, 10:14 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The reverse UEFA Champions League Group E fixture, Dynamo Kyiv vs. F.C. Barcelona, kicks off at 21:00 (GMT+1) on Tuesday, November 2 at the Olimpiyskyi. Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU) will be the referee in charge while working alongside the assistants, Mircea Mihail Grigoriu (ROU) and Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU). The VAR monitor will be operated by Marco Di Bello (ITA).
Preview Dynamo Kyiv Champions League, Nov 2, 2021
Preview Over the weekend, Dynamo Kyiv picked up a 3-2 win against FC Mariupol in the Ukrainian Premier League. The club enjoys domestic dominance, sitting at the top of the league table in first place after thirteen league games. However, the side from Kyiv has not been able to replicate the domestic form on European soil. The Ukrainian outfit lost by a single goal to Barcelona in the reverse fixture of this double-header, courtesy of Gerard Pique’s strike in the 36th minute at Camp Nou. Kyiv slipped one spot lower, from 3rd place to 4th place at the end of Matchday 3, having only one point and a G.D. of -6 in Group E after 0W, 1D, & 2L. The Ukrainian side returns to the circle of champions with three victories in a row, over five games across all competitions: WLWWW. A draw won't be enough for Dynamo Kyiv to salvage the current situation, but a win could see the fight for a last-16 berth go down to the wire on Matchday 6. A 4—2—3—1 formation from Mircea Lucescu could see Ilia Shkurin in attack. Vladyslav Kulach has been ruled out of this fixture alongside Artem Besedin. Mykyta Burda recently returned to training and could be available for this fixture, while Vitaliy Mykolenko is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks through injury.
Preview FC Barcelona Champions League, Nov 2, 2021
Preview With Koeman dismissed, caretaker coach Sergi Barjuan got his feet wet with a 1-1 draw at the helm in the game against Deportivo Alaves over the weekend. Memphis Depay (49’) had Barcelona in the lead until Alaves struck for the leveler through Luis Rioja (52’). On Tuesday, he will make his UEFA Champions League debut with the club in the coaching seat, hoping to pick up a win in an attempt to overtake second-placed Benfica, who have a difficult game against Bayern. In 3rd place, Barcelona has 3 points and a G.D of -5 after: 1W, 0D, & 2L. The Blaugrana have only two victories in five games across all competitions: WWLLD. A 4—4—2 formation consisting of Memphis Depay and Sergiño Dest in attack is expected. Sergio Agüero was taken to hospital for tests on Saturday after suffering a possible chest injury shortly before the break. Ansu Fati is ruled out with a knee injury alongside Martin Braithwaite, while Ousmane Dembélé remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. In addition, Pedri is sidelined with a thigh injury while Frenkie de Jong has a niggling hamstring injury.