Barcelona vs Dynamo Kyiv live on October 20, 2021: Will the Blaugrana revive their disastrous UCL campaign?

October 20, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, UEFA Champions League

With zero points and zero goals scored from their opening two games, the Blaugrana know it is do-or-die on Wednesday if they wish to make the knockout stage.

Preview

Barcelona are back in action in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, with the Spanish giants gearing up for a crucial 90 minutes of football in their European campaign. While the Blaugrana will not be facing a continental giant like they did in the opening round, their clash with Dynamo Kyiv could be do-or-die for the Spaniards in their attempt to make it to the next round.

This almost sounds foreign – Barcelona, one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, are in risk of crashing out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage. However, this is a reality thanks to the Catalan giants' dreadful start to the season.

The Camp Nou outfit sit dead bottom in Group E, boasting zero points and zero goals scored after two games. Not only that, but Ronald Koeman's side have conceded six goals while failing to register a single shot on target in their first two outings.

Their UEFA Champions League opener was a home clash with Bayern Munich, and while that 3-0 defeat was infuriating for Cules, not many expected them to beat the rampant Bundesliga champions. Then came the trip to Benfica, the more embarrassing fixture, as Barcelona fell to another 3-0 loss and got a player sent off to pile on the misery.

As a result, Depay and Co. now sit six points adrift of Nagelsmann's side while they trail the second-placed Eagles by four points. Given that two of their four remaining group stage fixtures are against those two aforementioned teams, Barcelona have no room to drop points and must win their clash with Dynamo Kyiv.

Straight after losing 3-0 at Benfica, the Catalan giants went on to visit Atletico Madrid in the league and were beaten 2-0. However, the Spaniards have since bounced back, beating Valencia 3-1 on Sunday in a confidence-boosting result, with Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati showing signs of promise for the Blaugrana.

Dynamo Kyiv, meanwhile, sit in third as they pulled off what Koeman's men failed to achieve and that is picking up a point against Benfica. The Ukrainians held the Portuguese giants to a goalless draw before being thrashed by Bayern Munich in the following round.

Lucescu's side head into this fixture on the back of a 4-1 victory over PFK Lviv, a result which saw them maintain their three-point advantage at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League table. However, Bilo-Syn have not fared well against Barcelona in recent years and will thus be on the hunt for redemption.

Team news

Barcelona: Eric Garcia is suspended for this game after being sent off in the Benfica defeat, and with Ronald Araujo being injured, this means Clement Lenglet will return to the lineup alongside Gerard Pique. Pedri is also out of contention but Ousmane Dembele could make his return, albeit more likely from the bench. Similarly, Aguero will be eyeing a cameo as well after making his debut off the bench in the win over Valencia.

Dynamo Kyiv: Artem Besedin, Vladyslav Kulach and Ibrahim Kargbo are all out while Denys Popov remains sidelined due to a cruciate ligament injury. Fortunately, Ilya Shkurin, who sat out their weekend fixture, has returned to the squad and made the trip to the Camp Nou.

Key stats

Dynamo Kyiv have lost their last four Champions League encounters with Barcelona.
The Blaugrana are currently on a five-game winless streak in this competition.
The Catalan giants have won only four of their last 10 games across all competitions.