Barcelona made it two victories in two games with a 1-0 victory over FC Porto on matchday two of the UEFA Champions League, despite the fact that it was battled hard.
As a result, the squad from Catalonia is one of four teams—along with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Manchester City—to have six points after two games.
However, a closer examination of the data reveals a very different picture. a narrative that paints Barcelona as the UEFA Champions League’s ideal squad this year.
Barcelona’s stunning Champions League debut
For what it’s worth, neither of Barcelona’s previous two seasons had seen them win their first two UCL games. However, this year they have not only won the games but are also continuing their perfect record..
Six goals have been scored by the Blaugrana overall under Xavi, with five of those goals coming from only one matchup versus Royal Antwerp. Only two teams, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, have more goals than this total after their first two games.
Barcelona stands out in particular for having a perfect defensive record and not giving up a single goal. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Manchester City have all conceded two goals in as many games, in comparison.
The largest victory in the Champions League so far this year belongs to Barcelona, who defeated Royal Antwerp 5-0. (Image: David Ramos via Getty Images)
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City now have goal differentials of +2, +2, and +4 respectively.
With a fantastic +6 in their favor, Barcelona continues to have the edge over the other two clubs in this situation.
Additionally, their 5-0 triumph over Antwerp is still the largest triumph in the UEFA Champions League so far this year.
Making apologies for previous poor starts
It should be mentioned that Barcelona had trouble getting consecutive victories after the 2020–21 campaign. Then, they defeated Ferencvaros with a score of 5-1, then beat Juventus with a score of 2-0.
However, the squad from Catalonia began the following season with a 0-3 loss to Bayern Munich, and they suffered a similar defeat to Benfica in the following game, which was more than enough to guarantee their elimination.
The Blaugrana last time out started their UCL campaign with a 5-1 victory against Viktoria Plzen but lost to Bayern Munich 2-0 in their second group match.