FC Barcelona (1st, 6pts) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (3rd, 3pts)
Competition/Round: 2023-24 Champions League, Group H, Matchday 3
Barcelona Outs & Doubts:
Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Sergi Roberto (out)
Shakhtar Outs & Doubts:
Mykola Matviyenko (doubt)
Date/Time:
Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 6.45pm CET (Barcelona), 5.45pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 12.45pm ET, 9.45am PT (USA), 10.15pm IST (India)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Montjuïc, Barcelona, Catalona, Spain
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK)
VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
How to watch on TV:
TUDN (USA), TNT Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), SONY TEN 2 (India), Movistar Liga de Campeones (Spain), others
How to watch online: Paramount+ (USA), Discovery+ (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following a dramatic, crucial late victory against Athletic Bilbao to get closer to the top of the La Liga table, Barcelona return to European action for their third Champions League group stage game as they welcome Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium on Wednesday evening’s early kickoff.
Barça come into this one still unbeaten in all competitions three months into the season, an underrated achievement for Xavi Hernández and his troops considering the tough schedule they’ve faced and the almost unbelievable injury crisis they’ve had to deal with since the very beginning of the campaign.
The quality of the football despite the tough circumstances has been even more impressive than the results themselves, which provides a lot of encouragement as Barça look to compete in all fronts this term. Saturday’s El Clásico will be the biggest test of the season so far and will give us a good idea about the team’s chances of winning the league, but a deep European run remains the biggest priority for the club in 2023-24.
Advancing to the Round of 16 is the first step in their quest for a strong Champions League campaign, and three points against Shakhtar will pretty much guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds as it’ll leave Barça just one point away from mathematical qualification with three games still remaining.
Xavi made it clear in his pre-match press conference that he takes this match very seriously and will not hesitate to use the best players available to ensure his team has the best chance of cashing in maybe. Of course, he will be smart at managing minutes in the Clásico, but anyone expecting a team full of young players will be surprised by the starting lineup.
This is no longer the Shakhtar team that were fierce opponents in Europe in the past, largely due to the loss of much talent due to external circumstances in Ukraine, but those who remain are part of ‘a collective Tough, well-organized body can also play if given the opportunity.
They will be physical and defensive and will hope to have chances on counter-attacks and set-pieces, but surely Shakhtar will be more than satisfied with a draw and will not take unnecessary risks like Royal Antwerp did in their 5-0 defeat. at Barça in Montjuïc with a surprisingly bold approach.
Barca must be ready to attack low and need to be patient and creative to find good opportunities, and at the same time need to be sharp in converting opportunities and preserving victory. They are favorites but it doesn’t mean it’ll be a walk in the park, and the Blaugrana can’t be looking ahead to Saturday if they want to win this one.
Official Barcelona Squad List:
Goalkeepers
1: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
2: Inaki Pena Sotorres
3: Ander Astralaga
Defenders
1: Ronald Araujo
2: Andreas Christensen
3: Alejandro Balde
4: Joao Cancelo
5: Inigo Martinez
6: Marcos Alonso
7: Hector Fort
8: Pau Cubarsi
Midfielders
1: Ilkay Gundogan
2: Fermin Lopez
3: Oriol Romeu
4: Aleix Garrido
5: Marc Casado
Forwards
1: Ferran Torres
2: Joao Felix
3: Lamine Yamal
4: Marc Guiu
Suspended
1: Gavi
Injured
1: Pedri
2: Frenkie de Jong
3: Robert Lewandowski
4: Raphinha
5: Jules Kounde
6: Sergi Roberto
For more updates on Barcelona news, please visit sportsearchers.com
