The league stage of the Champions League reaches its climax on Wednesday, with all 18 fixtures being played at the same time: 9pm CET.
For FC Barcelona, the challenge is a game at home to FC Copenhagen. They go into the match in ninth place, one below the Top-8 that offers direct passage into the last 16, and hence avoids the need to negotiate a tricky playoff round.
But things are extraordinary tight in that section of the table, with no fewer than eight teams matched on the same 13 points as Barça, and a number of others just above or below that group. Basically, Barça have to win on Wednesday. Anything else and they are almost certainly headed for the playoffs.
The chances are that a win by any score would suffice. But it’s so close between so many teams that nothing is guaranteed. And with a strong chance that goal difference will be required to split the teams, it means that the more Barça can score against the Danes, the better their hopes of achieving their objective.
The comforting thing is that when it comes to scoring goals, there are few teams that do that better than FC Barcelona. With 18, they are among the top scoring teams in the competition. Of greater concern are the 13 goals they have leaked, more than any of the other teams bidding for a place in the top eight.
Great Danes
Up against them they have a Copenhagen side that is not just here to enjoy a visit to Spotify Camp Nou. They too are here on a mission. Their own Champions League campaign didn’t get off to the best of starts, with just one point from their first four games. However, they then defeated both Kairat and Villarreal, and drew 1-1 with Napoli, meaning that they still have a chance of making the knockout stage, something they did indeed manage two seasons ago.
A draw against Barça might be enough for the side coached by 37-year-old Jacob Neestrup, while a win would almost certainly do the trick.
Their European exploits are in stark contrast to their domestic form. The most decorated club in Danish football history and winners of three of the last four Superligas have been sliding down this year’s table. The early pacemakers are now fifth, and have lost three of their last four matches, including 2-0 defeat at home to Sønderjyske in their last outing.
But that game was almost two months ago as league football in Denmark stops for the winter. It means their only competitive outing since then has been the one with Napoli last week, but a draw with the Italian champions was no mean result.
Previous meetings
Other than a 3-2 win in a preseason friendly in 1993, the only time FC Barcelona have faced the Danish club before was in the group stage of the Champions League in 2010/11. Barça win 2-0 at home thanks to a Leo Messi brace, and the game in Copenhagen ended 1-1, the Argentinian also claiming his team’s goal.
That was also the most recent occasion that Barça have faced any side from Denmark.
Connections
Nevertheless, there are a number of connections between the two sides. The most obvious is Roony Bardghji, who joined the Løverne (Lions) in 2020 and became then youngest ever debutant at senior level, just six days after his 16th birthday (and a week later he scored his first goal!). It’s just half a year since he moved south to Barcelona, and most of the visiting squad are dear friends of his.
It’s also an interesting day for Jordan Larsson, Copenhagen’s joint top scorer across all competitions this season with eight goals. He’s the son of former Barça striker Henrik Larsson and a former pupil at Barça Escola from the days when his father was in town. Larsson has already scored three times in this season’s Champions League, and if he gets one more he’ll beat his dad’s record tally with Celtic in 2001/02!
Copenhagen’s other top scorer is Cameroon-born German international Youssoufa Moukoko, whose ‘fault’ it was that Lamine Yamal didn’t become the youngest player ever to appear in the Champions League. Moukoko had been 50 days younger when he got his first UCL start in the Dortmund jersey, although both those players have since been topped by Max Dowman, who was just 15 when he appeared for Arsenal last November.
Team news
Barça already expected to go into the game without the injured Gavi and Andreas Christensen, but they are now missing Pedri too, whose hamstring trouble means he’s side-lined for around a month. And there is the additional blow of being without Frenkie de Jong, who is serving a suspension after getting booked against Slavia Prague.
Dani Olmo elaborated by saying “”They are important players but it’s not an excuse. I can play in those positions, Bernal and Casadó as well. I will adapt and play wherever the coach wants. I have done that this season and there won’t be any problem. Wherever Flick puts me, I’ll give my all.”
“We are going into the game with the same desire. We know we are through but we want to finish in the top eight, that’s our goal.”
On the plus side, Ferran Torres is on the mend and was back in training on Monday, although it remains to be seen whether he will be ready in time to feature against Copenhagen. In his pre-game conference, coach Hansi Flick simply said ““it looks good and he’s ready. I’m very happy that he’s recovered so quickly.”
The opposition are without former Sevilla man Thomas Delaney, who was red carded last week, as well as the injured Mexcican Rodrigo Huescas and midfielder Magnus Mattsson.
