Champions League Preview: Barcelona vs Antwerp Prediction, Preview, and Odds (Sep 19)

• Barcelona kick off their Champions League campaign at home on Tuesday
• Antwerp will be the huge outsiders in the betting to pick up maximum points

The Champions League action continues on Tuesday this week, as Barcelona kick off their campaign at home against Antwerp. The Spanish giants will be the clear favorites in the betting to kick off their campaign with maximum points.

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How To Watch

• When: Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 3:00 p.m ET
• Where: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain
• How To Watch: CBS

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Odds

Match Result	Odds
Barcelona
Draw
Antwerp

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Match Preview

Barcelona will be among the leading contenders for Champions League glory this term. The Spanish giants will be heavily expected to make it through Group H with few issues, as they come up against Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk after this opening day assignment against Antwerp.

Barcelona will be looking to end a poor recent record in the competition, as they have exited in the group stage in each of the previous two seasons. That recent record saw their 19-season run of making it out of the group stage come to an end. This season will be Barcelona’s 28^th campaign in the Champions League, which is the joint-most alongside Real Madrid.

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G⚽AL OF THE DAY#OTD 2007🔙​ Bojan Krkić makes his Champions League debut pic.twitter.com/RLh4UlrI9h

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 19, 2023

Antwerp are widely expected to struggle in this group, and this will be their first Champions League campaign in 65 years. Their record away from home against Spanish opposition is also poor, as they have lost each of their previous three against La Liga teams by an aggregate scoreline of 0-10.

These two sides previously clashed in the 1964-65 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, with Barcelona winning 2-0 at home, and 2-1 away from home. Barcelona also have an excellent record against Belgian opposition, as they have never lost a home game against a team from the nation.

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Barcelona vs Antwerp Prediction

This looks set to be a reality check for Antwerp, as they will be given a stern reminder of the quality on offer in the Champions League. Barcelona look incredibly challenging to take on this weekend, and we could see them landing maximum points by covering the spread on matchday one.

Free Pick: