Barcelona vs Dynamo Kiev
4 November 2000hrs
Football – Europe – Champions League
Pick Over 3.5 goals
Bookmaker Betfair
Odds: 4/5 odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 3 November
Barcelona are on maximum points after two games and could take a big step towards qualification when taking on Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday.
Table of Contents
Barcelona Preview – Will Barca continue to put their domestic struggles behind them and make it three from three in Europe?
Ronald Koeman has not had his troubles to seek domestically in his short time as coach of Barcelona but he has found relief in the Champions League. Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Alaves was Barcelona’s fourth straight game without a win and has seen them fall to 12th in La Liga. And are now nine points behind leaders Real Sociedad. Albeit they do have two games in hand.
Koeman would have known the extent of the job before taking over so a slow start may not be a surprise, but he will be hoping that the departure of the unpopular club president will see more harmony throughout the club.
Dynamo Kiev Preview – Can depleted Dynamo pull off a remarkable upset?
If Dynamo were to have any realistic chance of finishing above Juventus and Barcelona in this section then they really had to take maximum points in the games against Ferencvaros. It was looking good when they went two goals up in Hungary last week but they failed to hold on and had to settle for one point. Their veteran head coach Mircea Lucescu will be well aware of the size of task that presents itself going into this double header.
Dynamo’s first game in this group ended in a 2-0 defeat at home to Juventus and in truth they barely laid a glove on their opponents in that game.
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Dynamo continue to set the pace in their domestic league and now have a four point advantage over their rivals and the current dominant force in Ukraine, Shakhtar Donetsk. That would clearly be their biggest objective for the season as they attempt to nurture their young talent through these testing games for much-needed experience.
What would have frustrated Lucescu more than anything last week was the concession of two goals from a winning position considering they have been so resolute in their league.
Barcelona vs Dynamo Kiev Betting Advice
Up until Bayern’s demolition of Barcelona in last season’s Champions League quarter-final, Dynamo Kiev were responsible for one of their worst results in European history. Led by Andriy Shevchenko, Dynamo won both group matches back in 1997/98 and did so emphatically. A 3-0 win in Kiev was followed by a famous 4-0 win in the Nou Camp.
They can dream of something similar this time around but more likely it will be a repeat of their last meeting when Barca won both matches in 2008/09 – a season they ended up winning the competition.
Key Facts – Barcelona vs Dynamo Kiev Betting Tip
- Barca have not won any of their last four in La Liga but have been flawless in the Champions League
- Dynamo will be missing up to 13 players for this game which makes their task even harder than normal
- The teams have not met since 2008/09 when Barca won both matches en route to winning the competition
When Barcelona have been on their game this season they have been pretty good. The number of players their opponents are missing will only add to the feeling that this could be a long night for Dynamo. Over 3.5 goals looks like a standout bet in this one.
