Barcelona, who have won four out of their last five games in all competitions, are set to face Belrusian side, BATE Borisov at the Camp Nou on Wednesday in their Group E encounter. The Spanish giants have a chance of inching closer to the next round of the competition if they complete their double over BATE, who were defeated 0-2 in October.
The Catalans have been playing without their star player, Lionel Messi, who suffered a knee injury in September, which ruled him out for around two months. However, Barcelona have not let their fans down as Luis Suarez and Neymar have stepped up their game to help the Spanish champions showcase their dominance in Europe and Spain.
Barcelona currently lie in the first place in the group while they are second in the La Liga standings. There is no doubt, Barcelona will be eager to see Messi in Barcelona colours, but their manager, Luis Enrique, does not want to worry much about injuries, though he did suggest that the Argentinean recovery is shaping as per the plan.
"Leo Messi's recovery is going according to plan. There is no update on his injury. Plus I don't worry too much about injuries before Christmas. This season injuries have forced me to use some players more, but come January we will be back to full strength," UEFA official website quoted Enrique as saying.
However, Barcelona cannot afford to take BATE easy for they might not possess some huge names of world football, but play with a huge heart, which drives them as a unit. BATE should be more confident after their sensational victory over the Italian giants, Roma, who lost the game 2-3. If BATE play a similar level of football, Barcelona will need to come up with their A-class game.
BATE coach Aleksandr Yermakovich is looking forward to the game as he believes his team is prepared to face Barcelona.
"Of course we know the potential of our opponents and we expect them to play with their best team, but we are completely prepared for this match. We are playing against the best team in the world and they have the best players for their respective positions. We are really looking forward to the challenge of facing a team of such quality," said Yermakovich.
Though it might be tough for BATE to come and challenge Barcelona in their home turf, their players are expected to give it their all and the visitors will be happy even if they manage a single point at Camp Nou.
Where to watch live
Barcelona vs BATE Borisov mega clash has been scheduled for 8:45 pm local time (1:15am IST, 8:45pm BST, 2:45pm ET) start with live Tv coverage for Indian viewers on Ten HD with live streaming on Ten Sports Live.
Football fans in the UK can watch Barcelona vs BATE Borisov game live on BT Sport Extra with live streaming option on Watch BT Sport.
The US viewers can enjoy the champions league game -- Barcelona vs BATE Borisov -- live on Fox Sports 2, while the live stream option is on FoxSoccer2Go.
The viewers in Africa can watch the Barcelona vs BATE Borisov game live on Supersport 5 Africa. Spanish viewers can watch Barcelona vs BATE Borisov champions league game live on beIN Sports Spain.
