Barcelona are in Belgium to complete the group stage phase of the Champions League, knowing that only a disaster will see them through without top spot in their group.
Shakhtar Donetsk must beat Porto, Barcelona must lose to Royal Antwerp, and a seven-goal swing must occur in order for the Ukrainian side to go through top. The pressure is on manager Xavi Hernandez though after a damning defeat to Girona over the weekend, with President Joan Laporta even influencing his squad selection.
Ilkay Gundogan, Robert Lewandowski and Ronald Araujo were all due to remain in Catalonia for rest, but were a last-minute call-up to the squad. Nevertheless, Sport do not expect any of the three to feature from the start against Antwerp.
They predict seven changes, the most notable of which is a potential debut for 17-year-old right-back Hector Fort. Veterans Oriol Romeu and Sergi Roberto could also make their first start in some time, with the latter returning from injury.
MD also have Alejandro Balde returning to the line-up, but Pedri continuing in the team, with Roberto at right-back instead of Fort. The only other discrepancy is that they believe Angel Alarcon will begin on the left side of attack instead of Joao Felix.
Mark van Bommel is without Jurgen Ekkelenkamp and Arbnor Muja through suspension, while Bjorn Engels, Jelle Bataille, Jacob Ondrejka and Anthony Valencia are all expected to miss out through injury too.
The Belgian champions are seeking their first point in the competition, after five straight defeats, and a 5-0 setback to Barcelona in their first match.
