Luis Enrique, the exception in Montjuïc

With this result, Hansi Flick´s team suffered their first defeat of the season after nine official matches. Until now, the record was seven wins (against Mallorca, Levante, Valencia, Newcastle, Getafe, Oviedo, and Real Sociedad) and one draw (against Rayo Vallecano).

A provisional scenario

The match was played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, the venue that hosts Barça´s matches while the Spotify Camp Nou renovations are completed. This is the third season in which the club uses Montjuïc as a provisional home, although it is expected that in the coming months the renovated Les Corts stadium will welcome the culés back as hosts. The last European defeat for Barça in this venue was on October 26, 2022, when Bayern Munich won 0-3 in the Champions group stage, with Xavi Hernández on the bench.

The only one capable of overcoming Barça in Montjuïc

Since that defeat against Bayern, Barça had played 13 Champions League matches at home in Montjuïc. During that stretch, the record was very positive: nine wins (Antwerp, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Naples, Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Brest, Benfica, and Borussia Dortmund), two draws (against Atalanta in the group stage and against Inter in the semifinals), and only two defeats. Interestingly, those two defeats came against the same opponent and under the same coaching: the Paris Saint-Germain of Luis Enrique. The Asturian had already eliminated the culés in the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 season with a resounding 1-4. Now, in the group stage of the current campaign, he repeated the formula with a 1-2 that reinforces his status as a “blaugrana antidote” in Montjuïc.