Barcelona on the verge of the 1/16 finals - all they have to do is not lose to Shakhtar

Blaugrana manager Xavi Hernandez described the game in Hamburg, at the Volksparkstadion, as a "great opportunity" for Barca. And, indeed, it is. A golden opportunity to finish the job in the group stage of the Champions League and confirm a place in the round of 16, so that they do not have to keep an eye on the calculator in the last two rounds. One point is enough for the Catalan team to advance to the knockout phase of the European elite.

It will certainly not be an easy mission. The Ukrainian team is on the rise since the arrival of Marino Pušić on the bench. Last weekend, they defeated Dynamo Kyiv in a big derby, and in the last part of the match in Montjuic against Barcelona, the Miners showed that they are capable, at least, of competing. There is another factor that can affect the development of the game. Shakhtar do not play in their stadium, but they will play "at home". Barcelona will have the support of a group of fans from Central and Eastern Europe, but the overwhelming majority of Shakhtar fans will be there.

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The team from Donetsk continues to use their asylum in Hamburg, and will now try to keep their hopes alive against Barca. Shakhtar opened this year's Champions League campaign with a 1-3 defeat against Porto, and then recovered and managed to record a big turnaround in the duel with Belgian Antwerp away. They had a two-goal deficit after the first half, but after a great fight, they turned it around to 3-2.

The Ukrainian team then faced Barcelona in the toughest match of the group stage, in Spain. The clash at the Olympic Stadium showed again that Shakhtar can be serious about survival among the best, although they probably do not have enough quality to do so. The Blaugrana defeated the Ukrainians on their home field and outplayed them without major problems, even with several young talents in the lineup.

Since then, Shakhtar have played two matches, and they did very well, because first they won in the Ukrainian Cup, and then in the 13th round of their domestic league, they managed to defeat Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 as a guest. Oleksandr Zubkov, the only scorer in the match, became the hero of the team, and thanks to his goal, Shakhtar are in fourth place in the league. In the first place, Kryvbas have three points more, with two games to spare.

On the other hand, the Catalan giant is one of the contenders for a high ranking this season in the continental tournament. In the last two campaigns, Barça have failed to progress past the group, and Xavi is looking to end that streak at the third attempt. So far, he is in a great position, as he has the maximum performance with three wins. In these duels, Barcelona scored eight goals and conceded only one. If they do not lose tonight, participation in the next stage is guaranteed.

Marino Pušić will not be able to use Bondarenko, Ocheretko and Lassina Traore who are injured, while Konoplya is suspended. Meanwhile, Xavi is without Sergi Roberto and Frenkie de Jong, who are out of action.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - GROUP STAGE

Round 4

Tuesday

20:45: (2.80) Dortmund (3.35) Newcastle (2.70)

20:45: (9.50) Shakhtar (6.25) Barcelona (1.27)

23:00: (1.35) Atl.Madrid (5.50) Celtic (10.0)

23:00: (2.60) Lazio (3.50) Feyenoord (2.85)

23:00: (3.35) Milan (3.50) PSG (2.25)

23:00: (5.80) Crvena Zvezda (4.10) RB Leipzig (1.65)

23:00: (1.10) Man.City (13.0) Young Boys (25.0)

23:00: (1.37) Porto (4.80) Antwerp (9.00)

Wednesday

20:45: (1.42) Napoli (4.50) Union Berlin (7.75)

20:45: (2.00) Sociedad (3.50) Benfica (4.10)

23:00: (1.25) Bayern (7.00) Galatasaray (12.0)

23:00: (4.50) Copenhagen (3.60) Man.Utd. (1.90)

23:00: (1.35) Arsenal (5.60) Sevilla (9.50)

23:00: (1.80) PSV (3.60) Lens (4.60)

23:00: (1.28) Real Madrid (6.75) Braga (10.5)

23:00: (6.00) Salzburg (4.00) Inter (1.65)

***odds are subject to change***