Madrid: Spanish clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will kick off their UEFA Champions League campaigns on Wednesday, with Barcelona hosting Feyenoord and Atletico Madrid travelling to Anfield to face English Premier League club Liverpool.
Barcelona have made a strong start to the new season, winning all four of their La Liga matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just two. Hansi Flick’s side extended that impressive run with a commanding 5-0 win over Valencia on Sunday.
However, with little time to recover and three more league matches scheduled over the next 12 days, Flick is expected to rotate his starting XI against Feyenoord.
New signing Gabriel Jesus could make an appearance, while young Belgian winger Jesse Bisiwu is also in contention to make his debut from the bench. Flick may also look to manage Lamine Yamal’s minutes during a demanding run of fixtures.
Barcelona will aim to carry their domestic form into Europe, although Feyenoord will provide an early test as Flick’s side begin their bid for Champions League success.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid return to Anfield a year after suffering a thrilling 3-2 defeat at the same stage of the competition. Virgil van Dijk scored the late winner for Liverpool in that match.
Liverpool have made an inconsistent start to the season under new coach Andoni Iraola, and Atletico’s pace on the counter-attack could prove crucial in the contest.
Atletico suffered a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao over the weekend, but Julian Alvarez’s second-half appearance offered Diego Simeone a positive note. The Argentine forward came close to scoring and forced a save from goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Simeone now faces a decision over his attacking options, with the Atletico coach having to choose between giving Alvarez more playing time and handing new signing Jonathan David his debut. IAN
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