Barcelona will qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League with a win against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
The Spanish giants lead Group F with eight points, one ahead of Die Schwarzgelben who could also qualify for the knockout stage if they pick up three points—and will be looking to maintain their four-point cushion over third-placed Inter Milan, whom they face away in the final group game in two weeks.
The Catalans remained top of La Liga alongside Real Madrid and extended their winning run to two games as they came from behind to win 2-1 away at Leganes on Saturday.
However, as has been the case time and again this season, Barcelona was made to scrap before ultimately getting out of jail. It seems ungenerous to describe Ernesto Valverde's team as struggling, given it has won nine games of its last 11 matches in all competitions and has scored 35 goals in 13 league games—seven more than Real Madrid.
And yet, Barcelona has seldom convinced this season, prompting Catalan newspaper Sport to describe the result over Leganes as a "worrying victory".
The situation is similarly perplexing in the Champions League, where Barcelona leads Group F, despite an uncharacteristically sterile attack that has scored just four goals in four games—22 of the other 31 teams in the Champions League have scored more.
Against Leganes, Valverde started Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann together, but the quartet produced very little threat.
The latter is emblematic of Barcelona's issues this season. Signed from Atletico Madrid in a $133-million deal in the summer, Griezmann is yet to show the kind of form that made him a star in La Liga and has admitted to finding life in Barcelona a lot harder than expected.
"I try to read my teammates' movements, but it's difficult," the Frenchman said in a TV interview recently. "It's all new for me. I still don't understand the runs of Suárez, Messi or Dembélé. I still lack the confidence to pass or shoot, but it will come."
The good news for Valverde is that if Barcelona is navigating choppy waters, Dortmund is even more in disarray. The Germans needed a spirited second-half comeback to erase a three-goal deficit and draw 3-3 against bottom-of-the-table Paderborn on Saturday and looked like a side completely bereft of belief.
Speaking to Dortmund's annual general meeting on Sunday, the club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke offered a very limited amount of support to coach Lucien Favre, who seems to be rapidly running out of time.
"Lucien, you still have our confidence," Watzke said, leaving Favre in no doubt that results would determine his future.
Earlier this week, The Athletic reported Jadon Sancho feels "humiliated at scapegoated" by Favre and sporting director Michael Zorc. The Englishman—who was on target on Saturday and assisted another—has developed into one of European soccer's hottest prospects after scoring 13 goals and assisting 16 goals in 43 games last season and has long been linked with a return to the Premier League, amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United.
Here's all you need to know ahead of Wednesday.
When and where is the game?
Barcelona hosts Borussia Dortmund at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, November 27, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET).
The reverse fixture on Matchday One ended in a 0-0 draw.
TV coverage
The game will be broadcast live on B/R Live.
Live stream
A live stream will be available via B/R Live, as well as fuboTV.
Form
Barcelona remained top of La Liga alongside Real Madrid after winning 2-1 away against Leganes, while Dortmund erased a three-goal deficit to rescue a 3-3 draw at home against bottom-of-the-table Paderborn.
The result, however, extended Dortmund's winless to two games and left it sixth in the table, five points behind league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.
Team news
Barcelona will be without three defenders, as Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo are both injured, while Gerard Pique is suspended.
Dortmund, meanwhile, will be without injured midfielder Thomas Delaney and striker Paco Alcacer remains a doubt.
Odds
According to Oddschecker, Barcelona is an 11/20 favorite, while Dortmund is a 21/4 underdog and the draw is at 18/5.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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