Barcelona vs Royal Antwerp prediction, odds and prediction

Barcelona are aiming to get off to a winning start in Champions League Group H when they host Royal Antwerp at Camp Nou on Tuesday night.

The hosts come into the game after a 5-0 win over Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday, while Antwerp won 3-0 over Westerlo in Belgium’s top tier on Friday.

Barcelona had a disappointing start to their La Liga championship defence, being held to a goalless draw by Getafe on August 13, but they have since posted four straight victories to go to the top of the standings.

The Catalan club is the reigning La Liga champion and has begun strongly this season, but they have failed to advance beyond the group stage of the Champions League in their last two appearances.

Meanwhile, Barcelona was eliminated in the round of 16 in 2020-21 by Paris Saint-Germain, but they did reach the 2019-20 competition’s semi-finals before falling to eventual winners Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Antwerp are competing in the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history, thus Tuesday will be a watershed moment for the Belgian club.

Last season, the Reds won their sixth Belgian First Division title, and their first since 1957, to qualify for the Champions League playoff round, where they faced AEK Athens.

However, Mark van Bommel’s team won both home and away against their playoff opponents, winning 3-1 on aggregate to proceed to the competition’s group stage.

Barcelona’s game against Antwerp is scheduled for a 19:00 GMT kickoff.