BARCELONA FAVOURITES FOR PLZEN CLASH

Five-time European champions Barcelonaare massive favourites ahead of their home clash with Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic in the Champions League. The two teams have been drawn in the same group alongside German champions Bayern Munich and Italian side Inter Milan.

Barcelona would be hoping to avoid a repeat of last season when they were knocked out of the Champions League at this stage having been drawn in the same group as the aforementioned Bayern Munich, Portuguese outfit Benfica and Dynamo Kyiv in the Ukrainian top flight. Bayern won the group, while Benfica were runners-up thus leaving Barcelona to finish in third spot and drop into the Europa League. They were then knocked out of the Europa League by German team Eintracht Frankfurt who went on to win the competition. Eintracht Frankfurt stunned favourites Barcelona over two legs at the quarterfinal stage.

Ahead of the Plzen game at home, Barcelona have won three games in a row. A win over the Czech team will make it four successive wins in all competitions for manager Xavi and his players. Barcelona have won all their games this season except the home clash with Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish La Liga. They were forced to a goalless draw at home by Rayo Vallecano and had to end the game with ten men after club captain Sergio Busquets was sent off for two yellow cards in second half added time. Since theRayo Vallecano game, Barcelona have beaten the likes of Real Sociedad, Real Valladolid and Sevilla heavily with all the games coming in the Spanish top flight.
Barcelona have scored ten goals in their last three league games and those goals have led to three successive wins. With the three-game winning sequence, they are two points off arch rivals Real Madrid at the La Liga summit.