Champions League: Barcelona look to pick up first points against Young Boys

After losing 2-1 in their Champions League opener against Monaco, Barcelona knew they needed to be prepared for their second match in the competition against Young Boys

With that in mind, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick decided to heavily rotate his side against Osasuna over the weekend.

The result was disastrous as Barcelona were thumped by Osasuna 4-2, ending their perfect run in LaLiga and seeing their lead over Real Madrid drop to three.

Flick took responsibility for the loss but said he needed to protect his players and give them a rest.

Expect Flick to field his strongest team against Young Boys as Barcelona make their debut at home in this edition of the Champions League on Tuesday.

An early red card to Eric Garcia against Monaco all but sunk their chance to open the tournament with a win but they competed well despite the loss. It's a game Flick says they can't harp on.

"We have to forget," Flick said in his pre-match press conference. "In ten minutes everything changed. The game is at home. It's different."

Players who didn't start like Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Alejandro Balde and Iñigo Martínez will all be back, adding more fluidity in attack and solidity in defense. But as Barcelona saw against Osasuna, any team can have their day.

"We have seen that Young Boys have good players and that they are strong on the counterattack," Flick said. "We will put out the best team we have but must not be complacent. We want to get our first three points in the competition."

Any way you look at it, however, Barcelona are the clear favorites and anything less than a resounding win against Young Boys will be seen as a disappointment.

Young Boys currently sit in 11th place, second from the bottom, in the Swiss Super League. In eight games, they've conceded 18 goals. Not to mention Barcelona are playing this game at home.

"The team is eager to make our home debut this year and we want to excite the fans," Marc Casadó said. "I believe we have a very good squuad. It's true that we're young and some of us are just starting in the professional world, but we have ambition to win titles. This club and this badge always demand maximum effort.

All the injuries has forced Flick's hands in terms of having to use his starters more than he would like as well as rely on the young players. But it's that youth that has also resulted in positive results and performances and until some of the injured players get back, Flick will continue to do the best with what he has.