Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona will kick off their UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday night in a Group F fixture at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.
Dortmund will head into this tie on the back of an emphatic 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday night. Dortmund captain, Marco Reus scored a brace for the hosts, while Paco Alcácer and Raphaël Guerreiro were also on target as the Yellow brigade demolished Leverkusen in front of 80,000 supporters.
Just like the German outfit, would be bubbling with confidence after putting up a 5-star performance at the weekend against Valencia. Ansu Fati, 16-year-old attacker, starred for the Catalans as he became the youngest player to score and assist in a single game in La Liga history.
This will be the third time Dortmund and Barcelona will lock horns against each other in a competitive fixture. The previous two came in the 1997-98 European Super Cup when the Blaugrana won 2-0 at the Camp Nou, while they drew the return leg 1-1 at Dortmund.
Injury News
Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund will miss the services of their star defender Nico Schulz, while defender Łukasz Piszczek is yet to be 100 percent fit.
Barcelona
Barcelona have been handed a major boost as Lionel Messi has been declared fit and looks set to make his first appearance of the season.
Samuel Umtiti (foot) and Ousmane Dembele (hamstring) will miss the trip to Germany as the French duo is still side-lined with injuries.
Suspension list
Borussia Dortmund: N/A
Barcelona: N/A
Players to watch out for
Lionel Messi
All eyes will be once again on Messi as the Blaugrana ace is in contention to feature for the first time this season. However, the Barcelona captain is expected to start from the bench after returning to training only on Sunday.
Ansu Fati
Barcelona wonder-kid, Ansu Fati could be given the nod over another La Masia starlet Carles Pérez after his stunning display on the weekend. Fati might team-up alongside Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suárez in the attacking third, especially after the teenager's exceptional performances recently.
Frenkie de Jong
After a slow start to his Barcelona career, Frenkie de Jong has finally managed to find his feet for the Catalans. The Dutchman was on fire against Valencia as he scored once and set up another for his teammate. De Jong completed a total of 54 passes in the 70 minutes he played on the Saturday with an accuracy of 100%.
Jadon Sancho
The English attacker has been in tremendous form this season. Jadon Sancho has already managed to score twice and has assisted on four occasions in four games this term. And, Dortmund fans will be hoping for another Sancho masterclass as the Yellow Brigade look to sink the Barcelona ship on Tuesday.
Paco Alcácer
The former Barcelona striker has shown his class after joining the German giants. Alcácer has been in red-hot form this campaign as he has scored against every opponent he has faced till now. Alcácer would like to send a message to his former employers with a stunning display on Tuesday night.
Predicted XI
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona