The Catalans have been placed in a tricky group which comprises of reigning champions from three different leagues. PSG, Ajax and APOEL all triumphed in the domestic leagues of their respective countries and will now battle it out with a Barcelona side which failed to win any title last season.
However the Blaugrana have started this season strongly and their fans will be hoping for more success this time under the tutelage of new manager Luis Enrique. In their first European game of the season Barcelona will face arguably the weakest side in the group, however Enrique has refused to take the Cypriot side lightly and will be careful to avoid an upset.
"While the opponent is not very attractive, the game is as important as the ones against PSG because they're three very important points," he said.
"This wonderful sport is full of examples in which the top team was surprised by the supposedly inferior side. If we are not intense and don't pay attention, we will suffer. But if we are strong and we are competitive, we will find it easier to get the victory.”
"There are a lot of things we need to improve, but there are also a lot of positive things. It's only early in the season, so we're not in our full rhythm yet. That could catch us out."
Barcelona’s new manager praised his talismanic forward Lionel Messi but claimed his team do not want to be over reliant on the Argentinean international.
"Messi can be the best player in the world in the aspect of the game which he focuses on, but I don't think he'll ever be more of an assister than a scorer. But we do want to have more options to score than Messi so we don't become predictable. I think we have seen a team with variety and option. That's our objective.”
APOEL on the other hand have made a strong start in defense of their league title having won both of their matches so far. The Τhrylos have reached the group stages of the competition for only the third time in their history and will be hoping for a repeat of their heroics in the 2011-12 season when they managed to reach the quarter-final stage of the competition, eventually getting knocked out by Real Madrid.
Barcelona vs APOEL Team Sheets
Barcelona Starting XI: Ter Stegen, Piqué, Xavi, Messi, Neymar, Bartra, S. Roberto, Adriano, Alves, Samper, Munir
Barcelona bench: Bravo, Rakitic, Iniesta, Rafinha, Douglas, Mathieu, Sandro
APOEL Starting XI: Pardo, Andoniades, Mario Sergio, Amorin, Carlao, Morais, Vinicius, Gomes, Aloneftis, De Vincenti, Sheridan
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Barcelona vs APOEL live on Wednesday, September 17 2014:
In the US at 14.45EST on:
- On TV: Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports West, Fox Sports Net, Fox Sports GO, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Soccer Plus
- Audio / Radio: ESPN Deportes Radio,
In Canada at 14.45ET on:
- On TV: Sportsnet One, Sportsnet World Now
In the UK at 19.45BST on:
- On TV: Sky Go, Sky Go Extra, Sky Sports Red Button
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Barcelona vs APOEL match page.
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