Positive signs from previous visits to Ukraine

Tuesday, November 2 (9pm CETs) will see Barça line up against  Dinamo in Kyiv. It is an all-or-nothing situation and they will have to win to keep Champions League qualification in their own hands. Their Ukrainian opponents won't make it easy, however, as witnessed during the match at Camp Nou two weeks ago.

Recent matches in Ukraine are a cause for optimism for Barça, however, as they have won their last four. You have to go way back to 2004 to find the last defeat in Ukraine in fact, when Rijkaard's Barça lost to Shakhtar Donetsk (2-0) during the Champions League group stage.

Four from four

Nothing but wins since then: 1-2 in 2008, also against Shakhtar in the group stage of Europe's premier club competition; the following season against Dynamo, another 1-2 group stage win; in 2011, 0-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarter finals on the road to the Wembley win; and finally, last season, when Barça hammered Dynamo Kyiv 0-4 in the Champions League group stage.

So, four previous wins - two against Dynamo themselves - a real cause for optimism in view of the crunch match on Tuesday. Let's not forget that four Barça players were ruled fit to play on Monday: Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembélé and Frenkie De Jong. Let's do it!