Barcelona play host to Olympiacos, the Greek footballing giants, on Tuesday night at Montjuic as part of Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League’s league stage.
Jose Luis Mendilibar, former Real Valladolid, Osasuna, Sevilla and Deportivo Alaves manager, is now the coach of the Greek giants and has good experience in facing Barcelona from his time in La Liga. His record against them, however, is woeful.
So far this season, Olympiacos have not yet won a game in the Champions League but are in second place in the Super League and just a point behind leaders and domestic rivals PAOK.
As they head to Barcelona to lock horns with Hansi Flick’s side tomorrow, they boast of three wins and two defeats in their last five games.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Olympiacos.
On a tightrope
Had Barcelona held on in the final minutes of their game against PSG on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League, they would have at least taken a draw and seen the defending champions drop points as well.
Having dropped all three points, however, Barcelona now have no much cushion if they wish to qualify directly into the top-8. After all, the new format of the competition’s league phase is still relatively unknown.
Barcelona do indeed have relatively easy opponents to face in the coming match days, but given that they are yet to face Chelsea away from home as well, it is best that they keep a cushion by winning all their remaining games.
The clash against Olympiacos tomorrow , needless to say, falls into the category of ‘easier games’ in the hierarchy of the Blaugranas’ UCL schedule and taking all three points despite the injury situation, thus, will be vital.
A new look attack?
Hansi Flick’s plans for the midweek game took a massive blow when it came to light that both Raphinha and Ferran Torres will not make it back in time to join the squad and are thus ruled out.
Given that Robert Lewandowski is unavailable for the game too, the manager stares at a situation where he has only Lamine Yamal as a regular starter in attack that is available.
Pressed for options in the department, Flick was seen experimenting with alternative attacking setups ahead of the midweek game, and it will be interesting to see which setup he eventually opts for on the night.
The big news, needless to say, is that Flick tried out a Roony Bardghji-Marcus Rashford-Lamine trident in training. After all, the Swedish youngster did well coming off the bench in the last game and is an option to start.
Also on the manager’s mind is the possibility of using Fermin Lopez as a left-winger on the night with either a Marc Casado-Frenkie de Jong-Pedri midfield or a Casado-Pedri-Bardghji midfield.
With so many options on his platter and other names from the academy standing out as potential candidates as well, Flick must carefully weigh the pros and cons of all the options and ensure he chooses the most apt lineup possible.
Momentum needed
Barcelona’s win over Girona at the weekend left players, fans and spectators with a rush of adrenaline, one that many say could well be a binding factor for the dressing room to push hard and perform better.
What the game did not provide, however, was momentum as it once again highlighted the lacunae in defence, disconnect in energy and lack of synergy in the team.
Barcelona meet Real Madrid in less than a week, and Los Blancos are currently flying with an in-form Kylian Mbappe, a confident young core and even Vinicius Jr. returning to full swing.
What Flick and Co. will look for tomorrow, thus, is not just three points but a result that brings momentum back on their side, not only in terms of attack but also defensively.
One game with a reassured plan at the back, steady build-up play and well-executed attacks can not only provide a high-scoring win as was the norm last season but also momentum.
There may be just one game before the Clasico, but the result on Tuesday night will account for a lot of what happens at the weekend. A confident Barcelona, after all, can still take Real Madrid apart as long as they believe in themselves.
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