The visitors are currently sitting at the summit of the Group H having taken 12 points from five games, three clear of FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk who are locked on nine points and will face lock horns in the other match of the group.
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Barcelona will be looking to advance to the knockout round of the Champions League as Group H winners when they travel to Bosuilstadion to take on Royal Antwerp on Wednesday evening. The visitors are currently sitting at the summit of the group having taken 12 points from five games, three clear of FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk who are locked on nine points and will face each other in Portugal in the other match of the group. Meanwhile the Belgian outfit are languishing at the foot of the table, yet to open their account, not even a shot at redemption in the Europa League is a possibility for the Jupiler Pro League club. The reverse fixture in Catalonia back in September ended 5-0 in favour of Blaugrana thanks to Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, Gavi and Jele Bataille’s own goal.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
𝐎 𝐁 𝐉 𝐄 𝐂 𝐓 𝐈 𝐕 𝐄:
𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏 𝐇#𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐜̧𝐚
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/kPu3SFnF0W— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 13, 2023
Antwerp suffered their fifth successive Champions League group stage defeat against Shakhtar two weeks ago, as Mykola Matvienko headed home from Oleksandr Zubkov’s free-kick on the 12th-minute. The Belgian Pro League side enter the final matchday as the only team in this season’s Champions League without a single point to their name, and a tournament high 15 goals have been conceded so far. However, the Great Old have won their last three domestic games, scoring nine goals and conceding just three in the process. Their latest success came against Cercle Brugge (3-1) in the top flight thanks to one goal each from Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, Chidera Ejuke and George Ilenikhena.
Barcelona, on the other hand, are heading into the match on the back of a disappointing 4-2 La Liga defeat against Girona on Sunday. Blaugrana suffered their second league defeat of the season despite the fact that Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan got on the scoresheet. The reigning Spanish top flight champions are currently occupying fourth spot in the standings, having collected 34 points from 16 league games, seven adrift of leaders Gironistes. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Champions League, avoiding a defeat on Wednesday will seal their place in the last-16 stage as group winners. Barca could have assured their qualification on matchday four but a surprise 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar delayed the inevitable.
Royal Antwerp probable starting lineup: Butez, De Laet, Alderweireld, Coulibaly, Wijndal, Yusuf, Vermeeren, Kerk, Balikwisha, Ejuke, Janssen
Barcelona probable starting lineup: Pena, Cancelo, Kounde, Christensen, Balde, Lopez, Romeu, Gundogan, Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres
Royal Antwerp
| Opponents | Score |
| Cercle Brugge KSV | 1-3 (W) |
| Charleroi | 5-2 (W) |
| Leuven | 1-0 (W) |
| Shakhtar | 1-0 (L) |
| St. Truiden | 1-1 (D) |
Barcelona
| Opponents | Score |
| Girona | 2-4 (L) |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-0 (W) |
| FC Porto | 2-1 (W) |
| Rayo Vallecano | 1-1 (D) |
| Alaves | 2-1 (W) |
| Last match-result | Score |
| Barcelona beat Antwerp | 5-0 |
The UEFA Champions League fixture between Antwerp and Barcelona will take place at Bosuilstadion on Thursday at 1:30 am IST.
| Antwerp vs Barcelona | Key Details |
| Date | December 13 (Belgian) |
| Venue | Bosuilstadion |
| Kickoff time in Belgium | 9:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 9:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:30 am (Thursday) |
The live telecast of the Champions League matches in India will be available on Sony Sports network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Jio TV and Sony LIV. Those in Belgium can watch the match on RTL network and VTM 2. Meanwhile those in Spain watch catch the live action via Movistar network.
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