Previous meetings between Barcelona and Sporting CP

Barcelona will travel to Lisbon in a week’s time to take on Sporting Club of Portugal in their second group stage match of this season’s Champions League.

Ernesto Valverde will be looking to build on his side’s 3-0 thrashing of Juventus in their opening game last week.

The Catalan giants maintained their winning start to the La Liga season last night with the 6-1 thrashing of Eibar in which Lionel Messi helped himself to four goals.

Sporting Club now have the unenviable task of trying to avoid defeat versus Barcelona, or even just making the scoreline respectable.

Despite a serious injury to record signing Ousmane Dembele that will keep the French international sidelined for at least three-and-a-half months, Messi, Luis Suarez and Gerard Deulofeu are all capable of tearing most defences apart in the world.

Sporting qualified for this season’s Champions League by thrashing Steaua Bucharest 5-1 in the playoff round after finishing third in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season.

The Portuguese club have started their domestic season with a perfect six wins from six in the league and were also 3-2 winners at Olympiacos in their Champions League opener.

These two sides have only met in the competition once previously during the Champions League era.  That came back in the 2008-09 season.

Barcelona were 5-2 winners at the Estadio Jose Alvalade during the group stage thanks to goals from Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Bojan and a Marco Caneira own goal.  Rui Patricio was sent off for the hosts who saw Miguel Veloso and Liedson score in a losing effort.

Victor Valdes, Dani Alves, Martin Caceres, Rafa Marquez, Xavi, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Aleksander Hleb and Pedro all played for the Spaniards that day, who went on to lift the trophy against Manchester United in the final.

The Spanish giants had beaten Sporting 3-1 at Camp Nou earlier in the group.