Three talking points ahead of AS Monaco vs Barcelona | OneFootball

Having begun La Liga in the best way possible, Barcelona now enter a new competition that is perhaps the biggest objective of the season – the UEFA Champions League.

Repackaged in a new format, the European competition this season has done away with the traditional group stages and now features a brand new league stage.

Unlike previous years, Barcelona will thus play eight games in the first round against eight different oppositions, four at home and four on the road.

Tomorrow night, they kick start their campaign in France as they take to the field at Stade Louis II to face off against AS Monaco. Their opponents are unbeaten so far this season and have just one draw in their four games so far.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of the Blaugranas’ UCL curtain-raiser.

Hope reignites

Year after year, Barcelona begin their campaign in Europe amidst massive expectations. Yet, it has become the norm for them to fall short of the finish line either being outplayed or simply crumbling under pressure.

Last season, everything seemed to be going for Xavi’s side in the Champions League with even the draw providing them a favourable path to the trophy. A single Ronald Araujo blunder, however, was enough to see it all fall apart.

As Barcelona steps into a new season of the UEFA Champions League, one is forced to wonder if this is finally their time to shine. After all, Hansi Flick’s side have been in great form to this point.

The Blaugrana have scored 11 goals in their last two games and look ruthless in the final third. Dani Olmo’s injury is indeed a big blow but the manager has sufficient resources to fill that void.

Tomorrow thus begins a new roller-coaster of emotions for player and fans across the globe as Barcelona finally look to end their Champions League curse. The hope reignites and the pressure will be on the squad to deliver. Will this finally be the year?

Familiar opposition

Barcelona lost to AS Monaco in the Joan Gamper Trophy match. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

It is strange that Barcelona’s first UEFA Champions League opponent of the season is AS Monaco, simply because the two teams met less than two months ago in Spain.

The Blaugrana invited the French side to feature in the Joan Gamper trophy which serves as the team’s informal beginning of the new campaign.

Usually a clash that is always won by the home side, Barcelona astoundingly lost the Gamper game against Monaco last month and did so by some margin.

Taking to the field at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, the Azulgranas looked good in the opening half but it all fell apart after Lamine Camara’s opener in the 50th minute.

Flick’s side soon collapsed just six minutes later when Breel Embolo scored Monaco’s second goal of the night before a late Christian Mawissa strike made it 3-0.

Monaco, thus, inflicted Barcelona’s only defeat of pre-season and are the only team to have beaten Hansi Flick’s side in 90 minutes this campaign.

Tomorrow, they will walk out at Stade Louis II with an aim to settle the score and begin the UCL campaign on a strong note.

A tale of two prodigies

Barcelona’s Champions League history has been re-written in recent years by the young talents graduating from La Masia.

First, it was young Ansu Fati who became the team’s youngest debutant and goalscorer in the competition during the 2019-20 season. He was soon followed by Gavi, Alejandro Balde and others who have now become mainstays.

The latest crop of youngsters arrived on the stage just last season. Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, the two standout players of their crop, are now regular starters for Barcelona and are on course to break records.

Tomorrow’s clash, however, will have a special spotlight on two pioneers of Barcelona’s academy who fans have endless hopes for – Fati and Yamal.

The former is set to return to the field tomorrow after what has been an endless period on the sidelines. Flick sees something special in Fati and fans will be eager to see what he can extract from the youngster who has struggled in recent years.

Yamal, meanwhile, is on fire and will look to gun down his first goal in the UEFA Champions League, something he failed to achieve last season. He will, however, not be able to break Fati’s record as the youngest Barcelona player to score in the competition.