[ad_1]
Barcelona have a fantastic opportunity to reserve a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League when they face Dynamo Kiev at Camp Nou on Tuesday night. A victory for the Catalans would mean that they would have taken the maximum number of points from the first three match days and would guarantee them a place in the round of 16.
Barcelona are a huge favorite to enter the game, and their Ukrainian opponents are not helped by the fact that several key players are missing who have contracted the coronavirus. In fact, the Kiev team is so decimated that the match is likely to be called off if more players contract the virus in preparation for the game.
Although the Catalan giants have struggled in LaLiga Santander so far, their form in Europe has been nothing short of compelling. Ferencvaros managed to keep Barcelona at bay for the first 30 minutes of the match, but the Hungarian champions collapsed completely after conceding the first goal. Barcelona were even more compelling last time out against Juventus, when the team gave their best performance yet under Ronald Koeman, losing 2-0 in Turin thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi.
Therefore, the problem is not in Europe, but in La Liga, where inconsistency has cost Barcelona, as seen in Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Deportivo Alavés. In the last four LaLiga Santander games, the Catalans have added just two points out of twelve possible, after defeats against Getafe and Real Madrid in El Clásico. Koeman has prioritized meritocracy over age by giving youngsters Ansu Fati and Pedri a chance to earn their place in the starting lineup.
The team has certainly offered signs of improvement since Quique Setien’s disastrous tenure at the helm, yet they have not been consistent enough yet.
Despite being the top scorers in Europe with seven alongside Manchester United, their main problem so far in LaLiga Santander has been scoring goals, an issue they are unaware of. The Catalans have wasted numerous opportunities to win those four league games, and the responsibility of Messi and Antoine Griezmann is to achieve the vital goals.
Both have scored just one goal in LaLiga Santander this season, and Griezmann got his first against Alavés last time, a far cry from what was expected of both. Barcelona will host the return of first goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to the game team, after the second Neto cost them all three points on Saturday night at Alavés.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
