Much has changed for the Spanish giants since, with Barca enduring successive group stage eliminations from the competition for just the second time after failing to win any of their following four UEFA Champions League games.
Plzen
Viktoria Plzen are already confirmed to finish bottom of Group C in the UEFA Champions League after five straight losses, but there’s still pride left to play for. The Czech side will be desperate to avoid joining 22 other clubs to lose all six matches of a UEFA Champions League group campaign; a feat Rangers will also achieve if they lose to Ajax in Group A. There’s another dubious record in sight, too. With 20 goals already conceded in this group, they are just four away from equaling the record for most goals conceded (24) in a single UEFA Champions League group stage campaign. After a win last weekend, the hosts are comfortably top of the Czech top flight, but that form has not translated to success in the group stages.
They are on the verge of losing three consecutive UEFA home matches for the first time ever, but with their last two losses coming via a two-goal margin, there’s hope of at least making sure it’s not a very heavy defeat.
FC Barcelona
That wasn’t the case on the opening matchday when Barcelona defeated Plzeň 5-1 at Camp Nou, with Robert Lewandowski becoming the first player to score a UEFA Champions League hat-trick for three different teams. Much has changed for the Spanish giants since, with Barca enduring successive group stage eliminations from the competition for just the second time after failing to win any of their following four UEFA Champions League games. If that isn’t enough pain for the loyal Catalan fans, the hurt of enduring successive 3-0 losses in their last group game of the previous two UEFA Champions League campaigns may still be fresh. Having already fallen to losses at Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, another defeat here will make it four UEFA Champions League competition proper away losses in a row for the first time since October 1997.
Yet that record may stand the test of time considering Barça have enjoyed their travels to the Czech Republic, winning on their last three UEFA Champions League trips to this nation. And after a tight 1-0 La Liga win at the weekend, a result that kept Barcelona within a point of league leaders Real Madrid, the visitors should feel reasonably confident of finishing their UEFA Champions League campaign on a high.
Plzen’s Milan Havel grabbed an assist at home this season during this competition qualifiers. Still, his primary battle here could be to stop Ferran Torres, who assisted and scored Barcelona’s last two goals against Plzen. Plzeნ have seen the half-time result replicated at full-time in 12 of their last 15 matches.