Spain: After being held to a goalless draw by Slavia Prague in their last UEFA Champions League outing, Barcelona will be hoping to do better against Borussia Dortmund at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.
A lot is at stake, as a win for the Catalan giants will secure them top spot in Group F with a game to spare, while defeat could leave Barca needing to avoid losing to Inter Milan in order to qualify for the round of 16.
Embattled Barca head coach Ernesto Valverde will be without Gerard Pique, who is serving a one-match ban; Nelson Semedo and Jordi Alba are injured and Clement Lenglet is doubtful for the match.
Meanwhile, FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong said that the game against Dortmund is 'really important' for the Catalan Giants.
"It's really important, because we know if we win we will have qualified already (for Champions League round of 16) and will be first in our group. So it's really important for us. Like I said, qualifying for the next stage is the most important thing," the 22-year-old midfielder said.
Talking about Lionel Messi's nomination for next Ballon d´Or award, de Jong said that Messi deserves the award as he is the best in the world.
"I've said it a lot of times. I think (Lionel) Messi is the best player in the world. So I think Messi has to win it. I also think (Virgil) Van Dijk had an amazing season. He is an amazing player, a great defender and one of the best players in the world. But for me Messi is above all the other players in the world. I think he is by far the best," de jong said.
