Barcelona are aiming to win Group H of the UEFA Champions League as they travel to Antwerp on Wednesday. While the Catalans have stumbled slightly, Antwerp have been out of their depth in the competition and should be no match for the superior quality of the former champions.
It has been a Champions League debut to forget for Antwerp, who have been totally outclassed by everyone in Group H. They have lost all five of their matches and are not even in the mix for a Europa League place.
There has been a stark contrast between Antwerp’s Champions League showings and their domestic form as they have claimed three straight wins since the 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. They head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 3-1 victory over Cercle Brugge in a Jupiler Pro League fixture last weekend.
Antwerp are currently on a four match winning run at Bosuilstadion and will be looking to end their Champions League campaign on a high in front of their fans. However, Mark Van Bommel’s men have lost their last two home matches in the Champions League.
Barcelona claimed a 2-1 victory over FC Porto in their previous Champions League fixture thanks to goals from Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix. With four wins from five matches, the Catalans have already progressed to the round of 16 although they need a win on Wednesday to finish as Group winners.
Things have not been particularly smooth for Barcelona in recent weeks, although they are unbeaten in four of their last five matches, claiming three wins in that run. However, they will head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of a 4-2 defeat to Girona in a La Liga fixture on Sunday.
Barcelona have done some decent work on their recent travels with just one defeat in their last nine away matches across all competitions. Xavi’s men picked up a 1-0 victory over FC Porto in their previous Champions League fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 4/9 by Coral. Antwerp are considered outsiders with a home win valued at 6/1 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 4/2 by bet365.
Head to head
Barcelona claimed a 3-1 victory over Antwerp in the reverse fixture back in September.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski ended a lengthy goal drought in Barcelona’s defeat to Girona and could be backed to find the net on Wednesday at 10/11 with bet365. Joao Felix has been on target in two of his last three matches and having netted a brace in the reverse fixture with Antwerp, could be worth keeping an eye on at 2/1 with Unibet.
It was a shutout for Barcelona in the reverse fixture and they will be targeting a similar outcome on Wednesday. Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde should feature at the back and can lead the Catalans to another clean sheet at 27/20 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona earned a win to nil in the reverse fixture and could be set for a similar outcome at 17/10 by Paddy Power. It was a 5-0 victory in that fixture, which means a -1 handicap could also be considered at 23/20 with Betfred.
The Catalans scored in both halves in the reverse fixture and could be set for a similar outcome at 11/10 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Champions League match between Antwerp and Barcelona will be played on Dec 13, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Antwerp vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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