Barça can certify today (6:45 p.m.) the pass to the knockout phase of the 2023-24 Champions League. Something that is not a minor fact considering that the last two editions did not achieve it. To do so, they will have to overcome Shakhtar Donetsk who will play at home in Hamburg due to the current situation in Ukraine. Here my keys for this meeting:
After the team's presentation in San Sebastián, the first point for this afternoon's game involves a radical change of the team. Barça has to show from the first minute the will to improve fluidity with the ball and rhythm in general. The Barça team was unable to escape the high pressure against the San Sebastián team and that should be an incentive so that this afternoon they can demonstrate that they have the ability to do so in any context. Finding the free man and space has to be a constant trend. Furthermore, the three points would allow the Blaugrana to confirm the first step marked for this Champions League.
After having minutes against Real Sociedad, it is an ideal day for Pedri to accumulate more minutes. Maybe not the start yet, but a more important quota than the one he had against Real Sociedad. His good minutes in San Sebastián reminded us that he is an irreplaceable player. In just 36 minutes of play he created two scoring chances in what was his first contact in two months. He is a player with such a positive impact on the game that part of Barça's evolution as a team depends on his good evolution.
As was seen in the first leg, Shakhtar is a defensively fragile team. Especially when they are forced to have to defend wide spaces. And, being a young and totally new team, they do not dominate the defensive tilts. That is why it will be important to open the field as much as possible with wingers or full-backs, failing that. If Barça does well, a multitude of spaces will appear inside. This is how the first goal came and numerous chances in the previous match.
Barça will play with two offensive full-backs and will dominate the game both in possession and in location. And one of the things in which the team has to grow in this type of context involves actions to avoid the rival's transitions. Good positioning in surveillance, quick withdrawals or tactical fouls are things that the Barça team will have to do today to stop Shakhtar's exit attempts and that it will be good for them to start doing as a habit.
If in the first leg we talked about Subkov and Sikaan, today we have to talk about two other interesting footballers. The first of all is Heorhii Sudakov. The 21-year-old midfielder is a footballer with good footing and determination. He is the one who shoots the most of the Ukrainian team and who attempts the most filtered passes. A fixture in Pusic's plans and the scorer in the first leg. Also talk about Kryskiv. He alternates his presence in the eleven with the Brazilian Newerton but he is a player with good offensive vision and good dribbling. He can occupy either of the two wings in the 4-2-3-1, but he usually starts from the left.
