Muja, Arbnor 
Cancelo, Joao 
Barcelona are preparing for an important match as they set to take on Royal Antwerp at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday in the Champions League after a dominant victory with a five-goal difference against Real Betis.
Key Takeaways
- Barcelona has won eight games without losing
- In four road games, Royal Antwerp is unbeaten
- Both teams easily prevailed in their most recent game
One Barcelona player whose performance went under the radar is Gavi. The 19-year-old played a big part in the victory without being directly involved in any of the goals. Gavi appeared to thrive paying in midfield against Betis, which is a position that he has rarely featured in over the last 12 months. However, with Joao Felix having established himself on the left wing for Barcelona, it opens the door for Gavi to be played more in his natural position.
Barcelona Form
Barcelona put on an excellent display in their most recent LaLiga encounter, defeating Real Betis convincingly 5-0. All of Barcelona's players on the field showed talent and strength during their outstanding performance.
The Blaugrana team has played well lately, winning four straight games and drawing one. They had a strong offensive and defensive performance, scoring 13 goals while allowing only 4, and keeping three clean sheets in the process.
Royal Antwerp Form
Royal Antwerp recently displayed great play in a Belgian Pro League encounter, defeating Westerlo easily 0-3 without giving up a goal.
Three victories and two ties in their most recent matches reflect Royal Antwerp's strong recent play. They managed to keep two clean sheets while scoring nine goals and only giving up four. This demonstrates that they have played games with both a good attack and a solid defense.
Head-to-Head
No previous match information exists between these two teams.
Team News
The Barcelona manager, Xavi Hernandez, just has one fitness worry out of a nearly totally healthy bunch. Pedri is out with a hamstring injury.
Barcelona enters the game in excellent spirits, but things may turn out much better. Ronald Araujo has missed the previous four games because of a hamstring issue, but he is getting closer to being fully well. Javi Miguel claims that his chances of playing against Antwerp are quite remote.
Barcelona won't, however, take any chances with Araujo's recuperation. It is more likely that he is rested because they don't want to make things worse, making the match against Celta Vigo next weekend a more plausible goal.
There is no need to rush Araujo back because Barcelona already has Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Inigo Martinez as senior alternatives at center defense. They will undoubtedly consider this before the meeting in Antwerp.
Antwerp boss Mark van Bommel has a number of players out of action. Bjorn Engels Achilles tendon problems, Kobe Corbanie's surgery, Ortwin De Wolf's finger injury, Davino Verhulst's fracture of the orbit, and Sam Vine's knock miss out here.
Key Players
Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, who both scored their teams' debut goals, are two of the exciting new players that Barcelona has recruited to their roster. The existence of experienced striker Robert Lewandowski and the gifted Ferrán Torres has further boosted the Barcelona squad.
Vincent Janssen, M. Ange Balikwisha, and Arbnor Muja are some of Royal Antwerp's main players, and they all contribute significantly to the club. They have the capacity to improve the team's performance and have a big influence on the field.
Final Thoughts
The impending meeting between Barcelona and Royal Antwerp offers hope for the home squad. Despite the fact that the two teams have never met, Barcelona often benefits from playing on its home field. The squad has recently been in outstanding home form, but Royal Antwerp has struggled on the road, winning and drawing games alternately. Given this situation, it is possible that Barcelona will prevail in the upcoming match.
UEFA Champions League
LaLiga
First Division A