Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from a shock league defeat as they welcome Slavia Prague to the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
The Catalan giants lost 3-1 to Levante at the weekend. Lionel Messi gave them the lead from the penalty spot before three goals in seven second-half minutes saw Barcelona lose their third La Liga game of the season.
Barca have picked up 22 points from 11 league matches in 2019/20. Ernesto Valverde’s side have been far from their best this season. They have scored 29 league goals (at an average of just under 3 goals per game) but have conceded 14.
Still, the Spanish club have not lost in the Champions League this term. A record of W2/D1/L0 has seen Barcelona climb to the top of Group F, three points clear of Inter and Dortmund.
On the other hand, Slavia Prague are bottom of the group having picked up just one point from their opening three matches in the competition.
Their sole point came from an impressive 1-1 draw away at Inter, but the strength of the other teams in Group F means the Czech side are unlikely to qualify for the Round of 16.
Despite their European troubles, Slavia Prague are flying domestically. They are miles ahead in the Czech First League and are yet to taste defeat in 15 games this season.
Slavia’s defensive record in the Czech top-flight is outstanding. They have only conceded three goals so far this season, scoring 33 in reply.
However, a trip to Barcelona is not likely to help their defensive record. The Spanish side have scored two or more goals in seven of their last eight matches in all competitions.
The two teams met a fortnight ago on Matchday 3. A goal from Jan Boril cancelled out a Lionel Messi strike, only for Peter Olayinka to put the pull into his own net, gifting Barcelona the victory.
Slavia managed 24 shots that night, while Barcelona could only muster up 13. Still, Barcelona weren’t at their best and still came out on top.
Barcelona are the clear favourites again this time around. The Spanish giants should find it relatively easy to cruise past Slavia.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will claim a comfortable win. A clean sheet is also on the cards for the home side, while over 2.5 goals looks likely.