Dynamo Kiev will stay at home on Wednesday evening as they host title holders FC Barcelona at the Dinamo Stadion in the UEFA Champions League.

Swede striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic striking the ball during the Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev at the Camp Nou, September 29.Being their final game in the Champions League’s group stages, both sides will look ahead to getting nothing but a good result. Barcelona currently lead the Group F with 8 points following their comfortable 2-0 win at home against Inter Milan; however, Dynamo Kiev find themselves at the bottom of the table with 5 points after a single win in 5 Champions League games this season.

Looking at these facts, one could be aware that both sides will play with different purposes – despite equally taking the Dynamo Kiev vs FC Barcelona fixture seriously.

 

Dynamo Kiev – Reaching at least the UEFA Europa League

Artem Milevskiy of Dynamo Kiev battling for the ball against Xavi Hernandez of Barcelona between both side's game in the Champions League at the Camp Nou2 draws, 2 losses, and 1 win after match-day 5 in the UEFA Champions League have left Dynamo Kiev in a dangerous situation, as their road to European success is almost over.

Dynamo Kiev are just a point behind Inter Milan and Rubin Kazan, who both share 6 points. Perhaps, this small gap could give Andryi Shevchenko’s side a big boost, as they are not too far away from reserving themselves a place in the UEFA Europa League; if ever they are not lucky enough to reach the Champions League’s last 16.

Surely, getting at least the necessary amount of additional points to reach the Europa League will not be disgraceful, as they will get the chance to play against less powered sides, among which currently lie miserable English giants Liverpool.

FC Barcelona – Finishing as leaders of Group F

Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi celebrating for FC Barcelona after scoring a goal against Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev in the UEFA Champions League at the Camp Nou.Barcelona’s target ahead of their match in Kiev will certainly be to get the 3 points, which would guaranty them an established place in their table’s top position.

Inter Milan were previously leading the standings, but subsequent to their defeat at the Camp Nou, the Catalans were given the chance to get back at the top. Now, it is up to them to make sure they maintain this precious advantage. For sure, there is only one way this can be done: to triumph over Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night.

As every football lover knows, qualifying as first into the last 16 of the Champions League is always an advantage, as chances of meeting another top club in the next round are often very low.

Undoubtedly, this is exactly Barcelona’s aim, and even though they might be physically weakened by the bunch of encounters which they had to deal with since the International break, they might do everything in their power to ensure that a comfortable road is ahead of them.

Bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat in Barcelona

Dynamo Kiev were denied a win when they travelled to the Camp Nou back on September 29, losing 2-0 to the invincible Barcelona.

Their challenge on December 9 could therefore be their opportunity to redeem themselves and take their revenge over their Spanish opponents. Yes, by analyzing Dynamo Kiev’s resistance against Inter Milan and Rubin Kazan in their previous games, there is no doubt the Ukrainians will be capable of causing the defending champions an upset; taking into consideration the fact that they’ll have the advantage of playing on home soil.

Standings in Group F of the UEFA Champions League:

The Dynamo Kiev vs FC Barcelona game will then be a match with high expectations, but in the end, both sides will need to possess concentration at its maximum level in other to keep their fans’ hopes alive for the near future. To conclude, let’s take a look at how the standings are in the Champions League’s Group F so far:

  1. FC Barcelona with 8 points: 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss.
  2. Rubin Kazan with 6 points: 1 win, 3 draws, 1 loss.
  3. Inter Milan with 6 points: 1 win, 3 draws, and 1 loss.
  4. Dynamo Kiev with 5 points: 1 win, 2 draws, 2 loss.