Barcelona vs. Olympiakos: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Barcelona can take a big step towards securing qualification for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday when they host Olympiakos at the Camp Nou.

The Blaugrana have impressed in their opening two European games so far, with wins over Juventus and Sporting CP putting them on six points. Victory here would make their progression virtually inevitable.

Olympiakos, meanwhile, have struggled so far in the Champions League, having lost both of their matches. They need something here to maintain their slender hopes of getting out of the group alive.

Here's the latest team news on the brink of the game, the key viewing details and a look at what to expect from this clash in Catalonia.

Date: Wednesday, October 18

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET

TV Info: BT Sport (UK), FOX Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Sports website (UK), FOX Sports Go (U.S.)

Team News

Barcelona: Ernesto Valverde has no fresh injury concerns following Saturday's draw at Atletico Madrid. Rafinha, Ousmane Dembele and Arda Turan are all long-term absentees.

Likely XI: Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Andres Iniesta; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard Deulofeu

Olympiakos: Manager Takis Lemonis has few injury worries ahead of this contest, with El Fardou Ben Nabouhane the only doubt due to a hip problem.

Likely XI: Stefanos Kapino; Omar Elabdellaoui, Jacques Romao, Bjorn Engels, Diogo Figueiras; Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Guillame Gillet; Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez, Konstantinos Fortounis, Marko Marin; Uros Djurdjevic

Preview

Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images

For Barcelona, getting off to a positive start was always going to be vital in Group D, with a showdown against Italian giants Juventus and a tricky trip to Sporting to begin their European campaign.

With six points secured from a possible six, Valverde—a former Olympiakos manager—will want to see his side cement top spot in their back-to-back matches against the weakest team in the group. And based on the way this Barcelona team is playing at the moment, you would back them to do exactly that.

On Saturday, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico in La Liga, although there was plenty to admire about the performance. Barca kept at it against testing opponents and eventually found an equaliser through Suarez.

While it's been a difficult beginning to the season for the Uruguay international, OptaJose gave us a reminder of just how good he has been for Barcelona since arriving:

Messi remains the star man for Barca, though, as he rattled the woodwork twice at the Wanda Metropolitano in another virtuoso display.

fotopress/Getty Images

With Neymar departed and Suarez erratic early in 2017-18, the Argentina international has taken on even more responsibility in an attacking sense, dictating play, creating chances and scoring goals. At the moment, he's capable of winning matches single-handedly for the Blaugrana.

Both Valverde and Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone praised the determination of the forward after his display on Saturday, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC:

Barca fans will hope his recent exploits haven't left him too jaded for this encounter, as a struggling Olympiakos side will surely find an in-form Messi too hot to handle.

The Greek giants have found the going tough in both of their Champions League matches so far this term, with a 3-2 defeat against Sporting at home giving them a mountain to climb. Against Juventus, they acquitted themselves well for spells but eventually suffered a 2-0 defeat.

Confidence appears to be low throughout the team, too. In the Superleague in Greece, the Piraeus club have struggled and languish down in fifth position.

It's difficult to see how they can trouble a Barcelona team that's been so imperious on their own patch under Valverde. With some tough fixtures to come, the Blaugrana will hope to get ahead early on and coast through the rest of the contest.

Prediction: Barcelona 3-0 Olympiakos