Barcelona has not performed well in the past two seasons in the Champions League, being eliminated in the group stage. Now they aim to avoid a repeat of that. To achieve this, they need to start with a victory. So far, they have shown good results in the league and remain undefeated since the start of the season. They warmed up for the match against Antwerp with a convincing 5-0 victory over Betis.
Antwerp won the Belgian title in a dramatic fashion. Now they will make their debut in the group stage of the Champions League. To qualify, they had to play a playoff and eliminate the Greek team AEK with two victories. Their only loss this season was to Anderlecht, losing 0-1 in the league. The visitors are led by Mark van Bommel, a former Barcelona player.
Barcelona is known for not conceding many goals at home. Antwerp should not be underestimated, but I expect the difference in quality to become apparent and Barcelona to win without much trouble.
