Barcelona Must Make Statement with Champions League Group Domination

Barcelona now know who stands in their way of a safe passage out of Champions League Group E.

Thursday evening saw the live draw, when the Catalans were paired with Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and BATE Borisov.

On paper, it's a very kind draw for Luis Enrique and his team and potentially affords the club the opportunity of dominating the group and sending out a real statement to the rest of Europe.

Although there have been defensive issues during pre-season, Barca are well-equipped to again go all the way in the competition and become the first club in the modern era to defend the title.

Roger Schmidt's Leverkusen side are in the group stage by virtue of a playoff victory against Lazio. The Germans should present a much different proposition than the team that were hammered 7-1 back in 2012, when Lionel Messi grabbed five goals.

In Stefan Kiessling, Lars Bender and Hakan Calhanoglu, Bayer do at least possess a handful of exponents who can change the course of the game.

Perhaps more of a problem for Schmidt is that such quality doesn't run throughout his side. Charles Aranguiz, who was expected to inject some more class into the side, has been sidelined for several months after tearing his right Achilles just a few days after signing.

The clubs' sporting director, Rudi Voller, noted in a statement, shared by Sky Sports:

"

We are all devastated and of course are suffering along with him.

Charles was looking forward to his first Bundesliga game against Hanover 96. We will do everything so that he comes back from his serious injury as soon as possible.

"

Bayer arrive at Camp Nou in the second matchweek, and depending how the other teams in the group have started, an expected home win here could go some way to ensuring a rapid return to the knockout stages.

Prior to that game, Barca will have travelled to the scene of their 2009 Champions League final win against Manchester United.

Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press

Matchweek 1 is probably Barca's toughest assignment of the group, and Roma will be keen to get off on the front foot at the Stadio Olimpico as they did against CSKA Moscow last season with a 5-1 victory, per UEFA.

Their following home matches, a 1-7 reverse against Bayern Munich and 0-2 result against Manchester City, were forgettable, and if Barca can tap into any nervousness early in the game, it could set the tone for another crushing home defeat for the Italians.

A recent 3-0 win for Barca over the Giallorossi in the Joan Gamper Trophy will mean little; Seydou Keita and co. will be much more businesslike this time around.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Rudi Garcia will certainly be hoping for an improvement in performance from their opening-day Serie A draw with Verona, while Luis Enrique might be keen on showing the club he managed in 2011/12 just how far he has come in managerial terms.

In any event, matters off the pitch should remain cordial between the two sides, with Enrique chatting extensively with Garcia and his staff after a recovery training session for the Italians the day after the Gamper match per the FC Barcelona website.

BATE Borisov have never managed to get out of the group stage, and only the most optimistic of their supporters will believe they have a chance of doing so this time around.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Barca cruised to 4-0 and 5-0 victories against the Belarusians in the 2011/12 campaign, and Graham Hunter of UEFA.com noted that Pep Guardiola could afford to rest 12 Champions League winners from his squad in their final group-stage game of that season and still win the tie at a canter.

The four goals scored allowed Barca to equal the group-stage record of 20 goals, and if Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are in the mood, then that figure is well within the capabilities of this side.

Alexander Hleb will return to the club where he was a huge disappointment and, with it, the chance to prove everyone wrong will inspire him and his team to scale the heights.

A rotation employed heavily in the first half of last season from Enrique will surely come into play again, the games against BATE sandwiching winnable Liga matches against Eibar and Getafe, allowing the mainstays of the side downtime before more rigorous examinations against Villarreal and Real Madrid.

There's nothing to frighten Barca. It's time to signal their intent once again.