Club Brugge vs Barcelona match preview
Barcelona will look to make it nine points from four Champions League matches when they travel to face Club Brugge on Wednesday evening.
Hansi Flick’s side have picked up six points from their first three matches, putting them ninth overall, while Club Brugge sit in 20th place with just three points to their name.
Brugge come into this match on the back of a 2-1 league win over Dender, a result which keeps them second in the Belgian Pro League, three points behind Union Saint-Gilloise.
Nicky Hayen’s side have now recorded three consecutive victories in all competitions, with their last defeat coming in a 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on October 22.
The Belgian side made an impressive start to their European campaign by beating Monaco 4-1 at home, but have since been beaten by Atalanta and Bayern, leaving them bottom of the table.
Barcelona arrive in Belgium on the back of a 3-1 victory over Elche, which moved them back to second place in La Liga, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.
The Catalan club have already lost once this campaign, falling 2-1 to holders Paris Saint-Germain, but wins against Newcastle and Olympiacos have kept them in contention for a top-eight finish.
Team news for Club Brugge vs Barcelona
Club Brugge will once again be without Bjorn Meijer, Simon Mignolet, Ludovit Reis and Raphael Onyedika, all injured.
Nordin Jackers is expected to continue in goal, while Christos Tzolis will feature in attack after an impressive campaign which saw him record eight goals and eight assists in 21 appearances.
Nicolo Tresoldi is expected to lead the line, having contributed six goals and three assists so far this season.
For Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo both made successful returns from injury against Elche and are in contention to start.
However, Joan Garcia remains unavailable despite returning to training, while Andreas Christensen is also likely to be out as he continues to recover from a calf problem.
Lamine Yamal is suffering from a groin problem but should feature from the start. Gavi (knee), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back), Raphinha (hamstring) and Pedri (hamstring) are still out.
Pau Cubarsi, who was an unused substitute this weekend, is expected to return to the starting XI in Europe.
Expected line-ups for Club Brugge against Barcelona
Club Brugge: Jackers; Sabbé, Ordonez, Mechele, Seys; Forbs, Audoor, Stankovic, Vanaken, Tzolis; Tresoldi
Barcelona: Szczesny; Koundé, Cubarsi, Garcia, Baldé; Married, De Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; Towers
How to watch Club Brugge vs Barcelona: TV channel, online streaming
The Champions League clash between Club Brugge and Barcelona will take place at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium on Wednesday, November 5, with kick-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
In the UK, the match will be shown live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage starting 45 minutes before kick-off. Subscribers can also stream the game online via Discovery+ or the TNT Sports app.
Club Brugge stats against Barcelona
- This will be the first ever competitive meeting between Club Brugge and Barcelona
- Club Brugge have won four of their last five home matches in European competition
- Barcelona have scored at least twice in six of their last seven Champions League away games
- Club Brugge have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six Champions League matches
- Barcelona have won five of their last seven matches against Belgian opposition
- Christos Tzolis has been directly involved in 16 goals for Club Brugge this season in all competitions.
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Prediction
Club Brugge were excellent in their only home game of this Champions League campaign, but Barcelona’s quality and attacking depth should see them through.
Prediction: Club Brugge 1-3 Barcelona
