Barcelona may have beaten Young Boys and Bayern Munich, respectively, in their last two Champions League matches. However, they lost the opener in France against Monaco, continuing their struggles on the road in Europe.
Now, they travel to Serbia to take on Red Star Belgrade where, on paper, the Catalan side are heavy favorites considering their current run of form.
The last couple of weeks have been quite successful with wins over Sevilla, Real Madrid and Espanyol in LaLiga as well as victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
👥 Hansi Flick's squad for the trip to Belgrade! pic.twitter.com/ky7M5jlrP8
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 5, 2024
"We're in good shape. Tomorrow will be difficult, against a tough opponent with a great atmosphere. We'll try to play our way and get three points," Fermín López said in the pre-match press conference.
But away fixtures in Europe is where Barcelona have struggled recently. While their last win was admittedly an recent , a 3-2 over PSG last season, it doesn't take away they've been better playing at home than on the road. For some reason or another, things haven't clicked away from the Camp Nou/Montjuic.
However, it's not something that Hansi Flick can control. All he can do is look at the here and now.
"I don't think about the past, only the future," Flick said. "We want to be more successful when playing away in the Champions League and tomorrow is a good day to do it."
Under the new format, getting points away from home is important if a side wants to make it out of the group stage. Barcelona have already won two games at home but need to start picking up points away. With this being the format's debut season, no one is entirely sure how many points will be needed to qualify.
"In the new Champions League format, every game counts and it's very important to win," Flick said. "We know that it'll be a difficult match tomorrow because they are a good team and they have fast forwards."
Barcelona beat Espanyol in the Catalan Derby over the weekend but the second half performance left much to be desired. Up by three, they seemed to take their foot off the gas which is something Flick said he'll allow only once but not something they can repeat in the Champions League.
The atmosphere is certain to play a factor given Red Star Belgrade sit atop their league table and their fans are going to want to welcome Barcelona in to a hostile environment.
"The best team in Europe is coming to us. We are playing a team that is absolutely at its peak in all phases," said Red Star Belgrade coach Vladan Milojević. "We will do our best to counter them in the best possible way. In front of the home crowd, we should believe that we can do it."
Flick is likely to field a similar line-up to the one against Real Madrid with Fermín López making up the midfield trio alongside Pedri and Marc Casadó. He could also opt for a more offensive approach and opt for Dani Olmo. But López would be the logical choice if Flick is going to prioritize the high press.
López isn't afraid to do the running for the other two midfielders. It would also allow Barcelona a better outlet playing from the back with Pedri.
The question mark then becomes Frenkie de Jong. Flick could opt for the Dutchman as part of a double pivot with Casadó, letting Pedri play further up top like in the second half against Real Madrid.
With players returning from injury, particularly in midfield, Flick has plenty of options to tinker.
A win for Barcelona could lift them in to the automatic qualifying part of the table. For Red Star Belgrade, a win could give them some new life as they currently sit in 33rd place having lost all three of their matches.