Champions League: Pointless Barca Simply MUST Beat Dynamo!

Barcelona vs Dynamo Kyiv

Barcelona entertain Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday in a Champions League Round Three clash, and it’s a must-win for the Catalans as they try to get their European campaign up and running.

With two defeats from their opening two games, the Blaugrana is languishing at the bottom of Group E, and this is a basement battle against the Ukrainians who have one point. Kyiv come into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 1-4 victory away to FC Lviv while Barcelona have just found some form with a La Liga win over Valencia.

This game is a chance for both sides to get their Champions League campaign up and running but the expectation on Barca makes this a high-pressure clash for the hosts.

Talking Points

Now or never for Barcelona

If Barcelona are to stay among the European elite then this is a game they simply can’t afford to lose…or even draw. With two defeats already Ronald Koeman’s side cannot afford another slip-up, but the Blaugrana are at odds of 46.00 with SBOTOP to win the trophy. When was the last time the Catalans were at such long odds; for so long they were one of the sides at the very top of European football?

The Champions League 2021 betting odds pitch the Catalans at 26.00 to win Group E, and at this stage of the competition that would normally sound like a huge insult to Barca, were it not for the presence of FC Bayern. But at 1.26 to win this clash then surely Ronald Koeman’s side can start to make some progress.

Aguero’s late arrival can lift the Catalans

A 3-0 loss to Benfica and a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid sent the Catalans into the international break with a sense of gloom but they made a happy return on Sunday night thanks to a welcome victory over Valencia. It all looked to be going wrong again when the visitors took an early lead, but the Blaugrana showed some fight to win 3-1 which must have pleased Koeman. There’s was more good news for the boss as the fit-again Ansu Fati and the in-form Memphis Depay both scored, while Philippe Coutinho bagged his first Barca goal in over a year.

Champions League: Can Sergio Aguero make an impact at Barcelona? — Sergio Aguero has made his official debut for Barcelona against Valencia

And to cap off a good evening all round, Sergio Aguero made his long-awaited first appearance, coming on as a late substitute. He’s been sidelined with injury since joining Barca from Manchester City in the summer, and his arrival could be just the boost the club needs to turn its season around. That former Barca talisman Lionel Messi is now playing for title favourites PSG, who have a winnable game against Red Bull coming up, must be hard for Blaugrana fans to take so they need some good news. And if Aguero plays again on Wednesday in a win for Barca, then the gloom will continue to lift at the Camp Nou.

Dynamo’s free hit

A 1-1 draw with Benfica got their campaign off to a decent start but then Kyiv were thumped 5-0 by Bayern when they simply couldn’t handle Robert Lewandowski and co. So very few people outside Ukraine will give them much hope at the Camp Nou; expectations are low and all the pressure is on their hosts… so for Dynamo is a free hit.

Head coach Mircea Lucescu will rely on a team with a Ukrainian core, captained by Serhiy Sydorchuck. The 30-year-old midfield star has 44 caps for Ukraine and bags of experience on the big stage, and he’ll tell his teammates this is a good time to play Barcelona before the Catalans have gathered any real momentum. While Kyiv will play without any real pressure compared to their hosts, they know full well that a win would lift them to second place and open up an unlikely chance to advance to the knockout stage.

History

While Barcelona’s rich history is known worldwide, it’s worth mentioning that Dynamo Kyiv have been a dominant force in Ukraine, winning 16 top-flight league titles and 11 Cup wins and, before that, they won 13 Soviet leagues and nine cup competitions.

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La Liga

Dynamo have also won three European titles including two UEFA Cup Winners Cups. In its golden era, Kyiv inflicted a painful 4-0 defeat on Barcelona, in 1997, as the legendary Andriy Shevchenko scored a hat-trick. Can the Ukrainians repeat that feat and pull off one of the biggest Champions League 2021 results of the tournament? I very much doubt it. Barcelona have won their most recent four encounters with Kyiv, the last two victories coming in last year’s competition, a 0-4 stroll in Ukraine and a 2-1 win at the Camp Nou.

In terms of recent form, Barca are less impressive, winning just two of their last six games, in all competitions, while Dynamo have won three.

Betting Tip

	Barcelona vs Dynamo Kyiv	Total Goals 2-3 @ 2.15
	October 21, 00:45 (GMT+8)

The draw is at odds of 5.60 and Kyiv at 10.12 and, with not much to lose, the visitors should play with freedom. But I think Barca will prevail despite the pressure, and a correct scoreline of 2-0 is the most likely outcome at odds of 6.20.