Barcelona’s Perfect Start Faces Feyenoord in Europe
FC Barcelona open their 2026-27 Champions League campaign this evening at the Spotify Camp Nou, hosting Feyenoord and their former player Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Hansi Flick begins his third attempt to deliver the club’s biggest prize in Europe. The German coach has already won two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Super Cups and a Copa del Rey across his first two seasons in charge, but the Champions League has eluded him at Barcelona, and the Blaugranes arrive at this opener off the back of four straight LaLiga wins to open the new European campaign in confident mood, according to Marca.
Speaking ahead of kickoff, Flick argued that Barcelona have the quality to win the competition this season, while cautioning that the road through it remains a long one, according to Marca.
Raphinha, who has scored in all four of Barcelona’s opening LaLiga fixtures, is expected to continue leading the attack, though Flick faces one enforced change with Eric García suspended at right-back. Jules Koundé, Xavi Espart or João Cancelo are the candidates to fill that role, while there is also a chance Fermín López is rested from the attacking midfield position in favour of Dani Olmo, with both players in excellent form. Marca reports that any changes to the side that beat Valencia are expected to be limited, and Flick’s broader demand this season, touched on after the win over Rayo Vallecano, has been for greater control and defensive discipline even amid an increasingly potent attack.
Van Bronckhorst’s side arrive with selection problems of their own. Feyenoord are without Gijs Smal, Jakub Moder, Bart Nieuwkoop and Jordan Bos through injury, while Anis Hadj Moussa is a doubt for the trip to Catalonia.
Barcelona’s domestic form makes for striking reading ahead of the European opener. Flick’s side have won all four of their opening LaLiga fixtures, sit alone at the top of the table, and have scored 17 goals while conceding only two, with Raphinha topping the scoring charts on six. Feyenoord, by contrast, sit third in the Eredivisie after a similarly productive start, and the full Champions League squad registration context underlines how much depth Flick can call upon compared with a Feyenoord side already missing several key defenders.
| Team | Domestic Competition | Record (W-D-L) | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | LaLiga | 4-0-0 | 17 | 2 |
| Feyenoord | Eredivisie | 3-2-0 | 13 | 7 |
History offers Barcelona some comfort too. The two clubs have met only once before in European competition, in the second round of the 1974-75 European Cup, when a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam was followed by a 3-0 Barcelona win at Camp Nou built on a Carles Rexach hat-trick. Barcelona have also lost on Matchday 1 in just three of their previous 30 Champions League participations, with 21 wins and six draws in the rest, and this campaign marks their 31st appearance in the competition’s main phase, a record shared with Real Madrid, against a Feyenoord side making just their eighth Champions League appearance and third in four seasons.
The stakes remain significant regardless of the historical gap between the two clubs. Barcelona are chasing a sixth Champions League title, having previously won the competition in 1991-92, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11 and 2014-15, and last season’s exit at the hands of Atlético in the quarter-finals adds extra motivation for Flick’s group as they navigate a demanding league-phase schedule in the months ahead.
