Barcelona are hosting a Champions League match at Camp Nou for the first time since the stadium’s renovation, but what was expected to be a celebratory return has quickly turned into a test of nerves. Hansi Flick’s team comes in under pressure, sitting in an uncomfortable 18th place in the overall competition standings, while Eintracht Frankfurt arrive in Catalonia simply trying to stay alive after a brutal 6–0 loss to Leipzig. The reunion between the clubs, who share a short but memorable history, brings together two sides living completely different realities in domestic and continental play.
Barcelona return to the Champions at home under heavy scrutiny
The 3–0 loss to Chelsea in the previous round set off a loud alarm in Barcelona. The team opened the match by scoring an own goal in the 27th minute and soon after lost Ronald Araújo to a red card, which killed any chance of a comeback. The result exposed a troubling pattern: Barça have won only two of their last eight Champions League matches and have conceded three or more goals in six games this edition, something rare even for a club familiar with turbulence.
Even so, it’s hard to say the atmosphere is one of collapse. In La Liga, Barcelona lead comfortably and have won three straight matches, scoring 11 goals in the process and showing that the attack works well when not pressed by the pace of European competition. The problem is that none of this translates to the Champions League, where Robert Lewandowski still hasn’t scored this season despite being one of the players with the strongest track record against Frankfurt. He has scored 15 goals in his last 15 starts against the German side, including two hat tricks while playing for Bayern.
The hope is that returning to Camp Nou will give the squad new energy. The fans themselves expect an immediate response, not just in terms of qualification but also in how the team presents itself in Europe. With only seven points from five matches, Barça need a win to avoid depending on a complicated combination of results in the final round.
Frankfurt try to lean on the past
Eintracht Frankfurt arrive at Camp Nou in their worst moment of the season. The team has conceded 13 goals in their last four matches and dropped to 28th place in the Champions League standings, with only four points.
Even so, there’s one detail that keeps the German side from being dismissed: Frankfurt have never lost to Barcelona. In the 2021–22 Europa League, they drew in Germany and won 3–2 at Camp Nou, a result that still bothers the Catalans to this day.
And if they win again, Eintracht will become only the third team in history to defeat Barcelona in their first two away trips against them in European competitions.