FC Barcelona's opponents in the Champions League
The draw in Monaco for the new Champions League league phase has taken place and FC Barcelona now know that they will face Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Crvena Zvezda, Brest and Monaco.
As such, Hansi Flick's side will play eight games (four at home and four away) between September and January next year. The aim will be to finish in the first eight places to book a place directly in the last 16, although it is also possible to qualify via winning a play-off on finishing between 9th and 24th in the table.
The four home matches
The schedule still hasn't been decided but the home and away fixtures have been drawn. The teams that will visit the Estadi Olímpic are Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Young Boys and Brest. The blaugranes' away games are at Signal Iduna Park (Borussia Dortmund), the Estadio do Benfica (Benfica), the Estadio Marakana (Crvena Zvezda) and the Estadio Luis II (Monaco).
Two German giants
The blaugranes are set to play two of Germany's biggest teams in Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The Bavarian side are very familiar to coach Hansi Flick of course, as he was in charge there for the 19/20 and 20/22 seasons, winning the sextuplet in the latter. The teams have faced each other 13 times in European competition, and the current head to head record is 2 wins, 1 draw and 10 defeats.
Borussia and Barça haven't played each other that much in the past, however. The most recent game came in the 19/20 season during the group stage when the blaugranes drew 0-0 at Signal Iduna Park (0-0) and won 3-1 at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Three new opponents
Atalanta, Young Boys and Brest have never played a competitive match against FC Barcelona. Albeit they can provide some guidance, past results don't always have much bearing on games in the present.
What is clear is that they won't be easy games given how those three teams fared last season. Atalanta are the current Europa League champions, Young Boys are the current champions of the Swiss league, and Brest achieved their highest position in Ligue 1, finishing third and classifying for a European competition for the first time.
Tough games against Crvena Zvezda, Monaco and Benfica
The Serbian side's stadium is one of the most difficult places to go. The atmosphere can be hostile for the visiting team, adding to their threat given that they are the current SuperLiga champions and Serbian Cup holders.
Monaco on the other hand already showed what they are capable of in the recent Gamper Trophy, with the Ligue 1 side defeating the blaugranes 0-3 at the Estadi Olímpic.
Lastly, Benfica are a traditional opponent in European competition, the Catalans and Portuguese met twice in the group stage (21/22, 12/13) and once in the quarterfinals (05/06). The current head to head record is one win, one defeat and two draws.
Bojan: "You don't need motivation to play those games"
Football coordinator Bojan Krkic was in Monaco this evening for the Champions League draw. He gave his thoughts on the draw and new format afterwards, stating "It looks good. New things are always welcome. We will compete, play and enjoy the new Champions League". Ultimately, the format is not important as the aim is to play well and get as far as possible, and Bojan went on to say that "whatever the format, this is still the Champions League and representing a club like Barça deserves total commitment and to compete as much as possible".
Furthermore, he didn't place any importance on how tough the opponents are, as the football coordinator considers that “you don't need motivation to play in those games. We have to believe in ourselves, we have to keep developing, working as a team, which is what's most important".