Ahead of the Feyenoord clash: Barcelona "near-perfect" in the eyes of the Dutch press

A difficult challenge for the Dutch team

Barcelona's stunning start to the Spanish league season is causing a stir well beyond the country's borders.

The 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League kicks off this week, with Barcelona hosting Feyenoord at the Camp Nou next Wednesday. The La Liga leaders have become the focus of media attention, including in the Netherlands.

Dutch outlets have showered praise on Barcelona, who have taken all 12 points from their opening four league matches and scored 17 goals while conceding just two.

Dutch magazine "Voetbal" warned Feyenoord that they face a "difficult challenge" against a "near-perfect" Barcelona, according to Catalan newspaper "Mundo Deportivo".

Hansi Flick's side thrashed Valencia 5-0 on Sunday, and one well-known sports magazine confirmed that "Feyenoord must be careful, as Barcelona have one of the best starts to a season in the club's history".

It noted that "Barcelona have scored more goals after four matches only in the 1949-1950 (19 goals) and 1950-1951 (21 goals) seasons".

The magazine added: "It is striking that despite their remarkable goalscoring ability, Barcelona still need a classic out-and-out striker. Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez was the main candidate for this position, but the deal did not go through".

Feyenoord, meanwhile, look set to travel to Barcelona with one of their most prominent players, Algerian winger Anis Hadj Moussa.

Moussa nearly became the most expensive sale in the club's history for 40 million euros. But the Saudi league's summer transfer window closed on Sunday without the deal to Al-Ittihad going through.

He trained normally with Feyenoord on Monday and will travel with the squad to Barcelona on Tuesday to play their opening Champions League match.