Barcelona have certainly hit their stride, and head into their next Champions League fixture at home to AS Roma on the back of an incredible 4-0 victory away at the Santiago Bernábeu in the weekend’s Clásico. The defending champions are looking increasingly difficult to stop, and their Italian opponents must be quaking in their boots at the prospect of such a mauling.
Barcelona vs. Roma, Champions League 2015: Time, TV schedule and team news
Barcelona will look to continue their red-hot form when they take on Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Barça aren’t quite home and hosed yet, but they need only a point from their final two group games to ensure a safe passage into the knockouts. Things look rather tighter for Roma, who find themselves only a point ahead of third-placed Bayer Leverkusen after failing to win any of their opening three Champions League matches. Pulling off an upset here would enable them to breathe a little easier, though a defeat could see them fall behind the Germans in the table.
Key player: Neymar (Barcelona)
Lionel Messi’s status as the world’s best player could soon come under threat from one of his own teammates. In the Argentine’s recent injury layoff, Barça’s Brazilian forward Neymar has been in utterly scintillating form, and has scored 12 goals in 11 La Liga appearances so far this season. Cutting in off the left flank, Neymar wreaks havoc in defenses with his outstanding close control and deadly finishing. Roma have a job on their hands stopping him.
When they last met: Roma 1-1 Barcelona, Sept. 16, 2015
Roma started the reverse fixture with an astonishingly inexperienced defense, with youngsters Lucas Digne, Antonio Rüdiger, Kostas Manolas and Alessandro Florenzi -- naturally a central midfielder -- making up the back four. However, that didn't stop them from looking surprisingly solid at the back, and Luis Suárez's opener was Barça's only goal. Roma replied through an extraordinary effort by Florenzi from just inside the opposition half 10 minutes later, and tied at 1-1 was how it ended.
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Rafinha (knee); Douglas (foot).
AS Roma injuries and suspensions
Out: Gervinho, Francesco Totti (thigh); Mohamed Salah (ankle).
Match date/time: Tues., Nov. 24, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
TV: FOX Sports 2 (US - English); ESPN Deportes (US - Spanish); beIN Sports (Canada); BT Sport Extra (UK)
Online: FOX Sports Go, FOX Soccer 2Go (US); beIN Sports Connect (Canada); BT Sport Live Streaming (UK)
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