Barcelona look to continue its Champions League streak with a third consecutive win as they travel to Serbia to face Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday.
La Blaugrana are on a roll, seeking their third straight away victory without conceding, while Red Star enters this clash having won only once in their last six home Champions League outings.
So far this season, Barcelona has been nearly flawless.
Aside from a narrow 2-1 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League and a 4-2 La Liga stumble against Osasuna, Hansi Flick’s squad has swept through 13 other matches.
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Catalans have tallied an impressive 24 goals.
Notably, they dominated Young Boys 5-0 and dismantled Bayern Munich 4-1, climbing to 10th in the Champions League standings, just three points off the top.
Domestically, following a 4-0 El Clasico victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, they defeated Espanyol 3-1, thanks to Dani Olmo’s brace and Raphinha’s in-form strike.
Nine points clear atop La Liga, they now turn back to European ambitions, meeting Red Star for the first time since a 4-2 aggregate victory in the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
Barcelona’s scoring prowess could make history if they net four or more goals in three consecutive Champions League games – a feat last achieved in 1959-60.
On the other hand, Red Star Belgrade have struggled in the Champions League.
They remain winless and pointless in their first three games, sharing the tournament’s worst defensive record with 11 goals conceded alongside Slovan Bratislava and Dinamo Zagreb.
Losses to Benfica (2-1), Inter Milan (4-0) and Monaco (5-1) have kept Vladan Milojevic’s team languishing in 33rd place in the standings.
Though only three points from a last-16 playoff spot, daunting clashes against Barcelona, Stuttgart, and AC Milan lie ahead.
While European success has been elusive, Red Star are dominating domestically.
The Serbian SuperLiga leaders have won 12 of 13 games, scoring 43 goals and conceding just eight.
Last weekend, they downed Vojvodina 3-0 after routing Tekstilac Odzaci 7-0 in the Serbian Cup.
Historically, Red Star have claimed only two wins over Barcelona, both in the 1960s Fairs Cup.
They now aim to avoid an unwanted record, hoping not to become the first team since Benfica in 2018 to lose eight consecutive Champions League matches.
Red Star will be without Winger Peter Olayinka who is sidelined with an Achilles injury, while Nemanja Radonjic’s status is uncertain after an early exit in their last domestic match.
Goalkeeper Omri Glazer and defender Ognjen Mimovic have also been plagued by injuries, with their availability in doubt.
Striker Cherif Ndiaye, Red Star’s top scorer with 10 goals this season, is expected to lead the attack alongside Bruno Duarte, who has six goals.
Midfield will likely feature ex-AC Milan player Rade Krunic, Timi Max Elsnik, and promising 17-year-old Andrija Maksimovic.
Barcelona face their own injury concerns as goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, defenders Marc Bernal, Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are all unavailable.
Jules Kounde may start at right-back, and midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Gavi could make their way back to the starting lineup.
Raphinha, a crucial force for Barcelona this season, has been involved in 20 goals (11 goals, nine assists) under Flick.
The Brazilian winger, fresh off a hat trick against Bayern, is set to partner with Robert Lewandowski and young talent Lamine Yamal in an attack poised to test Red Star’s defense.
