Who: Club Brugge vs Barcelona
Content: Champions League group stage
Location: Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges, Belgium
Date and time: Wednesday 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
Barcelona are favorites to face Club Brugge, but they are unbeaten at home this season with six wins and one draw out of seven games played at the Jan Breydel Stadium.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The Belgian side recorded an impressive 4-1 win over Monaco early in the group stage, but losses to Atalanta and Bayern Munich left them with just three points.
On the domestic front, Club Brugge currently sit in second place in the Belgian Pro League, three points behind league leaders Union Saint-Giroise, with a 2-1 home victory over Denders at the weekend.
Barcelona have picked up six points in the Champions League so far this season, with wins over Newcastle United and Olympiakos but a 2-1 loss to European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal scored an early goal as Barcelona bounced back from their Clasico defeat to beat Elche 3-1 at home on Sunday and return to second place in the Spanish league.
barcelona come back
Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford also scored for Barcelona against Elche, a week after losing 2-1 to Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season.
“There were a lot of things we did well, but there were also a lot of things we didn’t do well,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said after the win against Elche. Although Barça had the upper hand in the match against Elche, they looked vulnerable to counterattacks.
“It was a tough game, but it means we got three points. We have to improve. This win gave us even more confidence. It’s a new step, but we have to keep going. I’m happy and we have to think positively about the upcoming games.”
Flick wants Rashford to be more clinical
Rashford has scored six goals in all competitions since joining Barcelona on loan from Manchester United in July, but Flick believes the England international should have scored more goals.
“When you see he’s got chances, I think one or two more goals would be good,” Flick told reporters.
“We know he can play at this level and I’m glad he showed it. He’s a very important player for the fans, for the club and for his teammates.”
Rashford admitted there is room for improvement in his decision-making.
“I’m just trying to do the right things on the pitch. Even today, I could have had more assists and goals. There were times when I misjudged shots and passes,” the 28-year-old told Spanish media after the win against Elche.
Heyen says Brugge cannot give Barça the ball cheaply
Club Brugge manager Nicky Heyen, 45, joined as interim manager during the 2023-2024 season and has since won three trophies: the 2023-2024 league title, the 2025 Belgian Super Cup and last season’s Belgian Cup.
Brugge also reached the last 16 of the Champions League last season, but lost 6-1 on aggregate to Aston Villa.
After the weekend’s win over Denders, Heyen praised his team’s “ideas and intentions” but said “the quality wasn’t necessarily top-notch”, adding that the Belgian team needed to raise their level significantly if they were to beat Barcelona.
“It could have been easier if we had scored that third goal. Furthermore, we gave away a few possessions, which we should avoid at all costs when we play Barcelona next Wednesday,” he said.
direct confrontation
Barça and Club Brugge have only faced each other twice. Barcelona won both matches in the group stage of the 2002-2003 Champions League.
The last time the teams met in Bruges, Barcelona won 1-0 away thanks to a goal from Juan Riquelme.
Barça won 3-2 in the previous match at Camp Nou.
Club Brugge team news
Former Liverpool and Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet is ruled out with a groin injury, while midfielder Ludovic Reis is also expected to miss out with a shoulder problem.
Nigeria midfielder Raphael Onyedika came off the bench against Denders at the weekend after being sidelined for five weeks with injury, but may not be fit enough to start.
Club Brugge’s main attacking trio of Christos Tzoris, Nicolo Tresoldi and Carlos Forbes could cause some problems for Barça. Young Greek winger Tzoris has eight goals and eight assists in all competitions this season, while striker Tresoldi has six goals and three assists.
Before facing Barça, Tresoldi said he was looking forward to playing against one of his heroes.
“(Veteran striker Robert) Lewandowski is one of my idols. I’m most looking forward to playing against him,” he said.
barcelona team news
Winger Raphinha remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while key midfielder Pedri is expected to be sidelined until after the November international break due to a muscle problem.
Goalkeepers Marc-Andre ter Szczesgen and Joao Garcia are also out with injuries, but fortunately Barca can rely on the talented Wojciech Szczesny between the sticks.
Center back Andreas Christensen has been absent from the squad for the past two games due to a calf problem and remains doubtful for Wednesday night.
Lewandowski and playmaker Dani Olmo came off the bench for a few minutes to recover from injuries against Elche and are likely to feature again against Brugge.
Club Brugge’s predicted starting lineup
Jacker. Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechere, Meyer. Stankovic. Forbes, Ordor, Vanaken, Tsolis. tresoldi
Barcelona’s predicted starting lineup
Szczesny; Kunde, Eric Garcia, Araujo, Balde. Casado, de Jong. Yamal, Fermin, Rashford. Ferran
