FC Barcelona will face one of the toughest tests of their European campaign so far when they travel to Germany to take on Borussia Dortmund for Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Barcelona and Dortmund have been two of the best sides in the competition so far, sitting third and fourth (tied on 12 points) respectively in the league stage table, with four wins and one loss each.
Barca cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Stade Brestois last time out, off the back of a brace from former Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski .
The Blaugrana's form in La Liga has left a lot to be desired of late, however, having failed to win four of their last five games in the league. Hansi Flick's men settled for a 2-2 draw with Real Betis in Seville on Saturday, but did defeat Mallorca 5-1 a week ago.
Barca are still holding on to their lead at the top of the Spanish first division standings, but Real Madrid have closed the gap to just two points, while also having a game in hand.
Dortmund, meanwhile, beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in Croatia on Matchday 5 of the UCL. Jamie Gittens continued his strong start to the year, while summer signing Serhou Guirassy also got in on the goals.
Die Borussen have drawn in their last two outings in the Bundesliga , being held to 1-1 stalemates by both Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich .
Nuri Sahin's squad are currently in sixth place in the league standings, 12 points off leaders Bayern Munich after 13 games.
Where to Watch FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund
Robert Lewandowski
When: Wednesday, December 11 – 3PM ET / 12PM PT
Where: Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
TV/Streaming in the United States: CBS Sports, Paramount+
TV/Streaming in Canada: DAZN
Borussia Dortmund Projected Lineup vs FC Barcelona
Jamie Gittens in action for Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund will be a little thin at the back when they host Barcelona on Wednesday, missing both Niklas Sule and Waldemar Anton due to injury. Natural midfielder Emre Can will have to deputize as a center-back, joining Nico Schlotterbeck in the middle of defense.
Jamie Gittens and Donyell Malen will be relied upon for pace on the wings, hoping to deliver balls into the box for poacher Serhou Guirassy to dispatch into the net.
Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi are hoping to be fit for the contest, and could feature in decisive roles off the bench.
Maximilian Beier will also miss out after sustaining an injury in the draw with Gladbach over the weekend.
Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Gregor Kobel (GK) – Julian Ryerson, Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini – Pascal Groß, Felix Nmecha – Donyell Malen, Marcel Sabitzer, Jamie Gittens – Serhou Guirassy.
FC Barcelona Projected Lineup vs Borussia Dortmund
Raphinha Barcelona
Lewandowski will be making a grand return to the place where he developed into one of the most dangerous strikers in world football, having scored 74 goals in 131 appearances for the German club between 2010 and 2014.
The 36-year-old is in tremendous form this season, scoring 23 goals in 21 games in all competitions so far. He'll surely be joined by Raphinha and Lamine Yamal once again on Wednesday to form arguably the best attack in European football this season.
The squad should look identical to the one that took the pitch against Real Betis on Saturday, with Pedri and Marc Casado forming a familiar double pivot in midfield.
FC Barcelona predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Inaki Pena (GK) – Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde – Marc Casado, Pedri – Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha – Robert Lewandowski.
FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund Head-to-Head History
Barcelona Borussia Dortmund
In four previous meetings between the two sides, Dortmund have never managed to defeat Barcelona, losing twice and drawing twice.
The two last faced off in the Champions League group stage in 2019, where Barca comfortably beat their rivals 3-1 at home thanks to goals from Lionel Messi , Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann .
FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund - Head-to-Head History
Date
November 27, 2019
September 17, 2019
March 11, 1998
January 8, 1998
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