Tuesday November 2 (9 p.m. CET) will see Barça face off against Dynamo in Kiev. It’s an all or nothing situation and they’ll have to win to keep Champions League qualification in their hands. However, their Ukrainian opponents will not make it easy for them, as evidenced by the match at Camp Nou two weeks ago.

The recent matches in Ukraine are, however, a source of optimism for Barca, who have won their last four games. You have to go back to 2004 to find the last defeat in Ukraine in fact, when Barça de Rijkaard lost to Shakhtar Donetsk (2-0) during the group stage of the Champions League.

Four out of four

Since then nothing but victories: 1-2 in 2008, also against Shakhtar in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition; the following season against Dynamo, another 1-2 victory in the group stage; in 2011, 0-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarter-finals on the road to victory at Wembley; and finally, last season, when Barça hammered Dynamo Kiev 0-4 in the group stage of the Champions League.

Thus, four previous victories – two against Dynamo themselves – a real cause for optimism in view of the crucial game on Tuesday. Let’s not forget that four Barça players were declared fit to play on Monday: Ronald Araujo, Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembélé and Frenkie De Jong. Let’s do it!