UEFA Champions League,
League Stage – 1
Barcelona
BAR
Feyenoord
FEY
-
Venue
- Camp Nou
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Referee
- S. Jablonski
Preview for Barcelona v Feyenoord
Barcelona open their Champions League campaign at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening, with Feyenoord the visitors.
It is the first meeting between the two clubs since a last-16 tie in the 1974-75 European Cup, over 50 years ago, when the Catalans won the home leg 3-0 to go through. Hansi Flick’s side arrive as one of only a handful of teams in Europe’s top five leagues still unbeaten and yet to drop a point this season.
That perhaps does not do justice to the extent of Barca’s dominance, however, with three four-goal hauls in four games. Anthony Gordon has made a flying start to his Barcelona career and offers a different threat to that posed by Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez.
But the Champions League is a competition that has eluded Barca in recent seasons with their most recent triumph coming in 2015.
Flick said: “All the big clubs dream of it, it is the greatest tournament and we have the quality to win it, but we must prove it. And we want to do it.
“The important thing is the team. We must all give everything and give it daily. We have four victories in four games and that is not easy. There are players who may not be happy with their situation and to play you have to prove you deserve it. Our level of play is the same as I see in training. We have to keep it up.”
Feyenoord sit third in the Eredivisie after three wins and two draws from five games. Interestingly, all three victories have come away from De Kuip and boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will hope that run continues at Camp Nou.
Team News for Barcelona v Feyenoord
Eric Garcia is suspended for the hosts, with Jules Kounde the likely replacement at right-back. Frenkie de Jong remains sidelined by a knee ligament injury with no firm return date, while Roony Bardghji is out for a significant period after tearing his ACL. Gavi is expected to be involved in some capacity having recovered from the knee issue that kept him out of the last three matches.
Feyenoord have their own injury concerns to contend with. Thomas Beelen (broken leg), Jakub Moder (knee), Jordan Bos (knee), Gijs Smal (ankle) and Bart Nieuwkoop are all unavailable, leaving Van Bronckhorst light in defence against Europe’s most dangerous attack.
Expected line-ups for Barcelona v Feyenoord
Barcelona: Joan García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Gordon; Raphinha
Feyenoord: Ernst; Read, St Juste, Watanabe, Mármol; Vanhoutte, Zechiel, Targhalline; Diarra, Ferri, Valente
Stats for Barcelona v Feyenoord
- The teams have met just once before, in the 1974/75 European Cup second round; after a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam, Barcelona won 3-0 at the Camp Nou with a Carles Rexach hat-trick.
- Barcelona have lost only two of their 18 matches against Dutch clubs (W10 D6) and have won their last four, most recently beating PSV Eindhoven 4-0 at home and 2-1 away in the 2018/19 group stage. They are unbeaten at home against Eredivisie visitors (W6 D3).
- Feyenoord have lost eight of their last 11 matches against Spanish teams (W2 D1), going down 2-1 at Real Betis in their last fixture, in the league phase of the 2025/26 Europa League.
- The Rotterdam club have lost four of their last five games in Spain (W1) and seven of their 11 away to Liga clubs overall (W3 D1).
- This is Barcelona’s 31st campaign in the Champions League proper, a competition record they share with Real Madrid. They have featured every season since 2003/04.
Where to Watch Barcelona v Feyenoord: TV and online streams
The match kicks off at 5.45pm BST on Wednesday, September 9 and will be shown live on TNT Sports 3 in the UK. Viewers can stream the game through HBO Max with a package that includes TNT Sports, or via the TNT Sports add-on on Amazon’s Prime Video app. Highlights will follow on the TNT Sports Football YouTube channel after the final whistle.
If you live outside the UK, click the LINK HERE to find out where to watch it in your region.
Prediction for Barcelona v Feyenoord
Barca have scored five goals in three of their four La Liga games this season and this could be another opportunity for the likes of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez to show their attacking prowess.
We fear it could be a long night for the Rotterdammers.
Match Prediction
Barcelona
Feyenoord
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