Barcelona vs. Ajax: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

World football giants Barcelona take center stage on Wednesday in their opening group match of the Champions League against Ajax.

Defending Eredivisie champions Ajax join AC Milan, Celtic and Barcelona in Group H, arguably the toughest group in the tournament.

Barcelona won the La Liga title last season by a whopping 15 points from rivals Real Madrid, and the addition of Neymar in the offseason has boosted their hopes of winning Europe's biggest club competition again. 

Let's take a look at everything you need to know for the Barcelona-Ajax showdown.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 2:45 p.m. ET

Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Watch: FOX Sports 1, FoxSoccer2Go, Sky Sports Red Button (UK)

Odds: Barcelona (82.2 percent), Ajax (4.7 percent), draw (13.1 percent), according to Bloomberg Sports

Key Storylines

After picking up one of the best young players in the world over the summer, Barcelona are hoping their highly-touted signing Neymar will become a star sooner rather than later.

Neymar has only picked up one goal in six appearances with the Catalans, but according to new manager Gerardo Martino, he couldn't have played much better in their recent 3-2 win over Sevilla (per Associated Press via Miami Herald).

"Neymar played a perfect match," Martino told AP.

In Barcelona's win, Messi and Neymar played alongside each other and it paid dividends, as the Argentinian star got in on the scoring and Neymar proved a great facilitator. 

Barcelona are easing Neymar into his new role by bringing him on in the second half, and his playing time could have a big impact on the result of the Ajax game. 

The potential return of Carles Puyol could also prove ital as fellow defender Jordi Alba has a nagging injury according to AP. 

If Puyol can reinforce a defensive back-line that has faltered and had its shortcomings as of late, Barcelona will be unstoppable and difficult to score against.

Prediction

There's just no reason to bet against a Barcelona squad playing at home and with their best players healthy.

Ajax have a real chance to make some noise in Group H, but it won't come on the road against quite possibly the world's best team.

Expect Messi and Neymar, if he starts, to click early on and put this one on ice before half-time.

Barcelona 4, Ajax 1