Barca a win away from last 16 of Champs League

By foxsports
Published

Barcelona will head into its Champions League match at FC Copenhagen on Tuesday riding an 11-match unbeaten streak.

The Spanish champions, who will guarantee themselves a spot in the last 16 with a victory, routed Sevilla 5-0 Saturday.

"We are playing at a very high level, like we have for the past few years," Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said.

Barcelona has no significant injury worries as defender Gabriel Milito is available after recovering from injury. Victor Valdes will start in goal, while Jose Pinto begins a two-match ban for simulating the referee's whistle in the first game against Copenhagen.

Barcelona won that match 2-0, with Lionel Messi scoring both. The team leads Group D with seven points, one point ahead of Copenhagen.

Although Barcelona is one point behind Real Madrid in the Spanish league, the team's stars seem to have shaken off any World Cup hangover to hit top form again. Messi and David Villa both scored twice in the win against Sevilla.

Copenhagen goes into Tuesday's match buoyed by a 3-2 win over Lyngby on Saturday. Copenhagen was trailing 2-1 until the 87th minute, when Morten Nordstrand equalized. Solvi Ottesen scored the winning goal in injury time.

"I had hoped for a win and I believe it is good for the boys to win this way because it gives a boost to come back and not give up," Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken said. "The players showed they were not satisfied with 2-2. They showed a good spirit and there's some psychology in this in relation to Tuesday's game."

Striker Cesar Santin is a doubt to play against Barcelona because of a sprained ankle.

Kenneth Zohore's goal against Lyngby made him - at 16 years and 272 days - one of the youngest player's to ever score in the top division of the Danish league, and he'll be vying for a spot in the team to play Barcelona.

In the other game in Group D, Rubin Kazan hosts Panathinaikos, with both teams looking for their first win and hoping to improve on the drab 0-0 draw played in Greece last month.

Rubin extended its domestic unbeaten streak to 11 matches with a 2-0 victory at Krylya Sovietov on Friday. Sergei Kornilenko scored both the goals. Panathinaikos, the defending champions in Greece, beat league leader Olympiakos 2-1 Saturday to close within a point.