PREVIEW: Barcelona hit by injuries ahead of Champions League clash with Olympiacos | OneFootball

Hansi Flick has backed Marcus Rashford to start against Olympiacos, with the squad hit by eight injury issues ahead of tomorrow’s crucial Champions League clash.

Defender Andreas Christensen joins Raphinha and Ferran Torres on the sidelines, while Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Joan Garcia, and Marc-André ter Stegen are also ruled out, raising concerns ahead of the first El Clásico of the season on Sunday.

This will be the third meeting between Barcelona and Olympiacos, with the last encounter coming in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League group stage.

Barcelona aim for their second Champions League win at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys tomorrow evening.

Flick’s side are currently 16th in their group, having recorded a narrow 2-1 win over Newcastle in September before losing by the same scoreline to PSG prior to the international break. They head into the match on the back of a 2-1 victory over Girona on Saturday.

Barcelona face Real Madrid in the season’s first El Clasico on Sunday, but will be looking to avoid a slip-up against Olympiacos first.

In their previous Champions League meetings, Barcelona drew away to Olympiacos and won 3-1 at home in October 2017.

Olympiacos return to the main draw of the Champions League for the first time since 2020-21, having topped last season’s Greek Super League. The Greek side travel to Barcelona following a 2-1 league win over Larissa.

Historically, Olympiacos have never won away to a Spanish team in European competition, losing 14 of 16 previous attempts. No Greek side has defeated a Spanish opponent in the UEFA Champions League, with 17 of 21 matches ending in defeat.

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK, with a kick-off time of 17:45 [BST].