Barça seeks to rescue its immaculate brand in the Champions League premieres

After a difficult season in which the FC Barcelona could not advance of the phase of groups of the tournament of elite of the continental football, the team of Xavi Hernández will try once again advance in one of the most complicated groups. For the first crash will measure to Viktoria Plzen in the Camp Nou, looking for his first three points and initiate again with a triumph in the competition, a series that saw interrupted in the previous edition.

For then, the first rival of the culés had been the Bayern of Munich, that in his visit to the Camp Nou finished imposing to the directed by Ronald Koeman by a conclusive 0-3. A shameful defeat in which the Barcelona picture could not add at least a shot under the three sticks. Of this way, finished a series of debuts in Champions without losing that it had kept during 24 years.

To find the last reverse of the Barça in a first party of the Champions before the fall in front of the Bayern in the course 2021-22 is necessary to trace back until the edition 1997-98, for then with Louis go Gaal like trainer. In that then, the Newcastle United carried the victory in St. James Park by 3-2 with a 'hat trick' of the Colombian Faustino Asprilla.

The defeat only would be the principle of a disastrous phase of groups in which the Barcelona also would fall goleado by the Benfica. The victories in front of the Dynamo of Kiev and the arrival of Xavi Hernández after the interinato of Sergi Barjuan and the dismissal of Koeman did renacer the hope of the barcelonismo, but a new trip in front of the lisboetas and a defeat more in front of the Bavarians in the Allianz Sand would send to the Barcelona to the Europe League.

The invicto of the Barça in his European debut

From that defeat to finals of the 20th century, the first party of the Barcelona in the League of Champions has finished being a victory in the majority of the occasions: 1-2 in front of the Solna in the 1999-00, 4-0 to the Leeds United (2000-01), 0-3 in his visit to the Fenerbahce (2001-02), 3-2 in front of the Witches (2002-03), 1-3 in Scotland against the Celtic (2003-04), a 0-2 to the Werder Bremen (2005-06), 5-0 to the Levski Sofia (2006-07), 3-0 to the Lyon (2007-08), 3-1 to the Sporting (2008-09), 5-1 to the Pananthinaikos (2010-11), 3-2 to the Spartak (2012-13), 4-0 to the Ajax (2013-14), 1-0 to the Apoel (2014-15), 7-0 to the Celtic (2016-17), 3-0 to the Juve (2017-18), 4-0 to the PSV Eindhoven (2018-19) and 5-1 to the Ferencvaros in the edition 2019-20.

In the series invicta of the culés in his European debuts also appear some 'pacts', as the one who would sign in the course 1998-99 in front of the Manchester United (3-3), champion of this edition that had also to the Camp Nou like stage of the final, and a 0-0 in front of the Inter of José Mourinho, equally victorious of the tournament to the dessert, in the start of the edition 2009-10. One more by 2-2 would take place in front of the Milan in the course 2011-12 before the 1-1 in front of the Rome in the 2015-16. The last tie of the Barcelona in a European première produced in the course 2019-20 in front of the Borussia Dortmund, without goals.