18 October 2021, 16:41 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The UEFA Champions League Group E fixture, FC Barcelona vs. Dynamo Kyiv, kicks off at 17:45 (GMT+1) on Wednesday, October 20 at Camp Nou.
Preview FC Barcelona Champions League, Oct 20, 2021
Preview Barcelona picked up a 3-1 win against Valencia on home soil at Camp Nou over the weekend. However, following another embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Benfica on UCL Matchday 2, Barcelona remains at the very bottom of Group E with a negative goal difference of -6 after back-to-back UCL defeats: 0W, 0D, & 2L. It was the first occurrence for the Spanish outfit since the 1972/73 UEFA Cup first round when Barcelona lost two games in a row against F.C. Porto. However, by some kind of miracle, Koeman escaped the axe in what appeared to be a mysterious U-turn by the club. Following the return of several key players, the Dutchman will aim to salvage a torrid UEFA Champions League campaign which leaves Barcelona without a single goal so far in the tournament. The Blaugrana have only two victories in five games across all competitions: DWLLW. In addition, Barça has won seven of their ten home games against Ukrainian clubs, while only losing two (7W, 1D, and 2L). A 4—3—3 formation with the trio consisting of Memphis Depay, Ansu Fati, and Sergio Aguero in attack is expected on Wednesday. Sergio Agüero made his Barça debut in a three-minute cameo against the Bats over the weekend, coming on in the 87th minute. Meanwhile, Ronald Araújo suffered a hamstring injury on international duty and failed to make an appearance for Barcelona over the weekend. Martin Braithwaite is ruled out for the length of the UCL group stage while Ousmane Dembélé remains sidelined. Pedri and Jordi Alba will be available for this fixture.
Preview Dynamo Kyiv Champions League, Oct 20, 2021
Preview Over the weekend, Dynamo Kyiv picked up a 4-1 win against FC Lviv in the Ukrainian Premier League. The club enjoys domestic dominance, sitting at the top of the league table in first place after eleven league games. However, the remarkable domestic form failed to count following a 5-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on UCL Matchday 2. The club sits in 3rd place with one point and a G.D. of -5 in Group E after 0W, 1D, & 1L. The Ukrainian side has only two victories in five games across all competitions: LWLDW. Manager Mircea Lucescu will aim for at least a point on Wednesday. The club’s last win against a Spanish side was a 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg. On Wednesday, a 4—2—3—1 formation from Lucescu could see Ilia Shkurin or Vladyslav Supryaga in attack. Vladyslav Kulach remains doubtful for this fixture alongside Artem Besedin, who suffered a knee injury at UEFA Euro 2020. Meanwhile, Mykyta Burda recently returned to training and could be available for this fixture.