Barcelona begin Champions League campaign against Feyenoord as Flick targets European glory

Barcelona kick off their 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign on Wednesday evening with a home fixture against Dutch side Feyenoord at the Spotify Camp Nou, with coach Hansi Flick making five changes to his starting lineup.

Flick, who took over at Barcelona in 2024, has expressed confidence that his squad has the quality to end the club’s 11-year wait for a Champions League title. Barcelona last won the competition in 2014-15 under Luis Enrique.

Starting lineup confirmed

With kickoff just over an hour away, Flick has named his starting XI for the opening league-phase match. Joan Garcia starts in goal, with a defence of Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen and Joao Cancelo – the latter making his first start of the season.

In midfield, the trio of Pedri, Rodri and Dani Olmo takes the field, with Olmo replacing Fermin Lopez. The attacking line features Lamine Yamal, Karim Adeyemi and captain Raphinha, with Adeyemi coming in for Anthony Gordon.

The changes are partly forced: Jules Kounde replaces the suspended Eric Garcia at right-back. Flick has also brought in Joao Cancelo, Andreas Christensen and Dani Olmo, while Karim Adeyemi takes Gordon’s place in attack.

Flick: ‘We have the quality to win it’

Speaking on the eve of the match, Flick told reporters: ‘I think that, in the end, the big clubs dream of this. We have the quality to win it, but the road is long. We have many experienced players. They all have the responsibility to win everything.’

The German coach also addressed Anthony Gordon’s start to life at Barcelona. The England international, who joined from Newcastle United in the summer, has registered four assists in his first four appearances but is yet to score. ‘As a forward, he wants to score goals, create chances and provide the final pass,’ Flick said. ‘That is also very important. The goals will come. I am very happy with his performance in defence and attack.’

Barcelona have begun their La Liga season with four straight wins, including a 5-0 victory over Valencia on Sunday.

Full league-phase schedule

Barcelona’s league-phase fixtures feature eight matches running from September through January. The full schedule is as follows: Matchday 1 – Barcelona vs Feyenoord (9 September, 18:45 CET); Matchday 2 – Galatasaray vs Barcelona (13 October, 21:00 CET); Matchday 3 – Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona (20 October, 21:00 CET); Matchday 4 – Barcelona vs Aston Villa (3 November, 21:00 CET); Matchday 5 – Sabah FK vs Barcelona (25 November, 18:45 CET); Matchday 6 – Barcelona vs Manchester City (8 December, 21:00 CET); Matchday 7 – Sporting CP vs Barcelona (date TBC); Matchday 8 – Barcelona vs Como (27 January, 21:00 CET).

The draw placed Barcelona against a demanding set of opponents. The Blaugrana will host Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como at the Spotify Camp Nou, while travelling to face Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Galatasaray and Sabah FK.

Barcelona’s clash with PSG on 20 October reunites them with former coach Luis Enrique, who has won back-to-back Champions League titles with the French club. The visit to Paris is one of the standout fixtures of the league phase, along with the home encounter against Manchester City on 8 December.

The Catalan side finished second and fifth respectively in the league phase in the previous two seasons, and will aim to finish in the top eight to secure direct passage to the round of 16.

Barcelona have won 18 of their previous 20 opening home matches in the European Cup or Champions League, with their only defeat coming against Bayern Munich in 2021-22. Under Flick, Barcelona have scored the most goals per game of any side in the competition since 2024, averaging 2.88 goals across 26 matches.

Kick-off for Wednesday’s match against Feyenoord is scheduled for 18:45 CET at the Spotify Camp Nou.