Lionel Messi
Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored his first La Liga goal of the season against Atletico Madrid on 12 September Reuters

Luis Enrique returns to familiar surroundings as he looks to guide Barcelona to a winning start in the Champions League against former club Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on 16 September.

Where to watch live

Kick off is set for 7.45pm BST. The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport Extra.

Overview

Roma are in fine form heading into this clash, having secured back-to-back wins over Juventus and Frosinone in Serie A. The Italian side last faced Barcelona as recently as August, when they were beaten 3-0 in the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Nou Camp.

Rudi Garcia's side are without playmaker Miralem Pjanic (ankle), while defenders Antonio Rudiger and Leandro Castan are doubtful to feature.

Barcelona came from behind to beat title rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 at the weekend, with Lionel Messi scoring the winner after coming off the substitutes' bench. The Catalan giants have won all three of their La Liga matches this campaign after falling to a shock 5-1 aggregate defeat in the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao.

The visitors have a string of defensive absentees for the trip to the Italian capital, with defenders Thomas Vermaelen, Dani Alves and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo all ruled out. Gerard Pique is available for selection after he sat out the win over Atletico due to a domestic suspension.

What managers say

Rudi Garcia: "Barcelona are defending European champions. If they aren't the best in the world, they are certainly among the best. We'll play with humility and ambition. We want to qualify, and this is the first of six games in which we will do our very best to get points."

Luis Enrique: "I'm back in Rome with a few more years on the clock, but also more experience. Rome is a city I have only positive memories of. For me it will be a special game, but that doesn't matter because the most important thing is that we make a winning start to this Uefa Champions League season."

Form guide

  • Roma: WWDLW
  • Last result: Frosinone 0-2 Roma
  • Barcelona (all competitions): WWWDL
  • Last result: Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona

Betting odds (888sport)

  • Roma win: 23/5
  • Draw: 31/10
  • Barcelona win: 5/8

Team news

Roma possible XI: Szczesny; Florenzi, Rudiger, Manolas, Digne; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Keita; Salah, Dzeko, Falque

Barcelona possible XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar