FC Barcelona’s quest to become the first team to successfully retain the UEFA Champions League begins tomorrow, when they travel to the Italian capital to take Serie A runners-up and current league leaders, AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The contest will be Barcelona’s first match in Group F this season, and in many respects, it promises to be the toughest test of the group stage, particularly given the departures of some key names from second seeds, Bayer Leverkusen.
While Leverkusen have arguably regressed over the summer with the sale of Heung Min Son, AS Roma have strengthened their side considerably with the loan acquisitions of former Manchester City striker, Edin Dzeko, Arsenal goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny and Chelsea winger, Mohamed Salah.