Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona
Champions League 2019/20 season
Venue: Signal Iduna Park
Date: Tuesday 17th September, 2019
Kick-off time: 8pm BST
Barcelona will be hoping to show they can manage without Lionel Messi as they take on Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener.
Ernesto Valverde's side, inspired by 16-year-old wonderkid Ansu Fati, thrashed Valencia 5-2 at the Camp Nou on Saturday to close the gap on LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid.
Now the Blaugrana turn their attention to Europe once again as they aim to wipe the slate clean after their shock exit to Liverpool in last year's quarter-finals.
But playing against a strong Dortmund side, with the famous Yellow Wall spurring them on, will be a tough test for the Catalan giants.
Team news and predicted lineup
Lionel Messi is in contention to feature for the first time this season after returning to training on Sunday.
The Argentine attacker has been sidelined after sustaining a calf injury on his return to pre-season training in August but has travelled with the Barca squad to Germany.
Fati was brought off on the hour-mark after a stunning display and could be given another chance to impress alongside Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez in attack.
Suarez enjoyed a successful return from injury with two goals against Valencia and is expected to replace Carles Perez in the front three.
Ousmane Dembele (hamstring), Samuel Umtit (foot) and goalkeeper Neto (wrist) will all miss Tuesday's clash.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Sergi Roberto, De Jong; Griezmann, Suarez, Fati.
Prediction: Dortmund 1-2 Barcelona
Even without Messi, Barca showed their true class to put five past Valencia at the weekend and with Fati performing superbly, the Catalans will fancy taking home all three points to Catalonia.
It won't be an easy ride at the Signal Iduna Park though, with Dortmund scoring nine goals in two games against Augsburg and Bayer Leverkusen at home this season and former striker Paco Alcacer in red-hot form.
Barca tend to thrive on the counter-attack and that could play to their advantage with Dortmund looking to control possession.
Tickets
Click here for more information about Barcelona tickets.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Dortmund to win: 21/10
- Draw: 27/10
- Barcelona to win: 5/4
First goal scorer
- Luis Suarez: 7/2
- Antoine Griezmann: 4/1
- Paco Alcacer: 13/2
- Marco Reus: 13/2
TV channel and live stream information
The match will be televised live on BT Sport/ESPN and can be streamed live online via the BT app and website. Coverage starts at 8pm.
You can follow all the action and analysis on Standard Sport's LIVE blog with Ben Hayward in Germany.
Head to head (h2h) results and history
This will be the first time Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have met in a competitive fixture.
