Club Brugge Vs Barcelona: Blaugrana Ready To Win Three Points At Jan Breydel

Lamina Yamal, sipa, strengthened Barcelona from the start (photo: x @FCBarcelona)

JAKARTA - Barcelona will try to secure nine points from four matches in this season's Champions League event as they continue their league phase campaign against Club Brugge at Jan Breydel Stadium, on Wednesday night 5 November local time.

The Catalan giants are currently collecting six points from three matches, placing them ninth in the overall standings. Meanwhile, Belgian representatives Club Brugge are in 20th place with three points from their first three matches.

Club Brugge came into this match with high confidence after winning 2-1 over Dender, a result that saw them occupy second place in the Belgian Pro League standings, three points adrift of leaders Union SG.

Nicky Hayen's side are in good form with three consecutive wins in all competitions, while their last loss came in the Champions League when they lost 0-4 to Bayern Munich on 22 October.

Brugge previously opened the Champions League trip this season with a sensational 4-1 win over Monaco, but then fell from Atalanta BC and Bayern, so it had only three points and was in 20th place in the league stage standings.

In the future, Brugge still has to face Sporting Lisbon, Arsenal, Kairat, and Marseille in the remaining four matches. They will aim to finish in enough positions to secure a playoff ticket.

Last season, Brugge reached the last 16 of the 2024-25 Champions League, before being eliminated by Aston Villa on a 6-1 aggregate after previously eliminating Atalanta in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Barcelona came to this game with a 3-1 win over Elche in La Liga, the result that put them back in second place in the standings, five points behind Real Madrid at the top.

Hansi Flick's side are Champions League semifinalists last season, having dramatically lost 6-7 on aggregate to Inter Milan, and are now among the favorites to win trophies this season.

However, their journey was not completely smooth. Barca already lost in the league phase when they fell 1-2 from PSG at home in early October. The other two wins they won over Newcastle United and Olympiacos, making them now collect six points.

After facing Brugge, the Blaugrana will continue their European journey against Chelsea, before closing the league phase against Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, and Copenhagen.

Despite experiencing several inconsistencies at the start of the season, Barcelona are now looking at two consecutive victories against Club Brugge and Celta Vigo ahead of the November international break.

From Bruge, four players were confirmed absent due to injuries Bjorn Meijer, Simon Mignolet, Ludovit Reis, and Raphael Onyedika. Nordin Jackers' coating goalkeeper will again be trusted to guard the net.

Winger Christos Tzolis, who performed outstanding with 8 goals and 8 assists in 21 games this season, will be a major threat. On the front lines, Nicolo Tresoldi, who has scored 6 goals and 3 assists, will spearhead.

Barcelona

Good news came with the return of Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo from injuries against Elche, and both returned to the squad. However, Joan Garcia is not fully fit, while Andreas Christensen is still recovering from a calf injury.

Lamine Yamal's injury is still being managed carefully due to a groin injury, but most likely remains a starter.

Meanwhile, Gavi (lutut), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (men), Raphinha (hamstring), and Pedri (hamstring) are still absent.

Young defender Pau Cubansmen are expected to return to the main line after being rested against Elche.

Brugge showed toughness in their big win over Monaco in their first home game in the Champions League this season, so this match is predicted not to be easy for Barcelona. However, with the quality and depth of the squad, Barcelona is believed to be able to get three important points in Belgium on Wednesday night.

Club Brugge (4-2-3-1): Jackers; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Seys; Forbs, Audoor, Stankovic, Vanaken, Tzolis; Tresoldi

Barcelona (4-2-3-1):Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, E. Garcia, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; F. Torres

Club Brugge 1.2 Barcelona