Lisbon: Barcelona arrived in Lisbon on Tuesday determined to build on their winning start to their Champions League campaign.
The Catalan giants take on Sporting in the Portuguese capital on Wednesday having already convincingly defeated Juventus in their opening match.
Barca last won the tournament in 2015 and will be eager to get their hands on the trophy once more. However, Sporting are level on points with the Spanish side having defeated Olympiakos 3-2 in their Group D opener.
Ernesto Valverde’s side have won all six of their matches in La Liga this season and are four points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Star player Lionel Messi is in fine form, having scored nine goals in La Liga so far this season and he also scored twice in the 3-0 win over Juve.
However, Porto should offer them a stern test, however, as they have won six games from seven and remain unbeaten in the Portuguese Primeira League.
Sporting defender Jeremy Mathieu is eager to put one over his former club. The Frenchman made the move to Portugal from Barcelona on a free transfer in July and scored his first goal for the club against Tondela earlier this month.
He left Spain under a cloud and was upset at the way president Josep Maria Bartomeu and sporting director Robert Fernandez handled his departure after three years at the club.
“I have a lot of respect for my former teammates and the fans,” he told Marca.
“If I celebrate, it will be because of Bartomeu and Robert Fernandez, because the way they treated me made things really difficult.
“It was just those two. But that’s football, and I’m happy now. I’m not bothered any more.”
Barcelona manager Valverde has left Paco Alcacer, Arda Turan and Thomas Vermaelen out of his travelling squad of 18, raising speculation that they may be heading for the Camp Nou exit when the transfer window reopens in January.
Gerard Deulofeu and Nelson Semedo have both been brought back into the squad having been rested for the La Liga win over Girona on Saturday.
Denis Suarez, meanwhile, has said he had the opportunity to leave Barca during the summer but wants to stay and stake his claim for a regular spot in the starting line-up.
“I never thought about leaving and although it is true that I had two offers, I did not consider either,” the midfielder, 23, told RAC1.
