Barcelona has gained momentum. In the summer, many players suffered from a gastroenteritis outbreak, and even a friendly match with “Juventus” was canceled. Fortunately, it was resolved quickly, and a few days later, the “Blaugrana” played a friendly against “Arsenal,” which they lost 3-5 but then won against “Real Madrid” (3-0), as well as “Milan” (1-0) and “Tottenham” (4-2). The season for Javier Fernandez’s team, better known as Xavi, started on August 13th against “Getafe.” It ended in a goalless draw, but then the club went on a winning streak, which has lasted for four rounds now. In La Liga, the Spaniards are in second place, trailing behind the leader “Real Madrid,” who have won all five rounds. You could say that “Barcelona” currently has no problems with their squad. In the upcoming match, only Pedri will be unavailable due to a muscle injury, and most likely, Araujo will also miss the match due to a minor muscle strain.
Antwerp had no problems in the qualifying round against Greek AEK (2-1 and 1-0). However, they were unlucky with the draw, as they will have to face Portuguese “Porto” and Ukrainian “Shakhtar,” in addition to “Barcelona.” The Belgian champions lack top-level players, which is evident even in their domestic league, where they are currently in the bottom half of the table after six rounds. In their last match, the team confidently defeated “Westerlo” (3-0), but before that, they had a draw with the stronger “Union Saint-Gilloise” (2-2), and their upcoming opponent is not just European but a global giant, so it will undoubtedly be very challenging. In the first match of the European club competitions, players like Engels, Vanheusden, Verstraete, and Corban are unavailable. Let’s see what tactics the coaching staff will choose for the game. More prediction for today games football can be obtained from the link provided.
