Barcelona will attempt to maintain their unbeaten record in 2025 when they play host to Atalanta BC in Wednesday's Champions League encounter.

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Barcelona are sitting just three points adrift of leaders Liverpool after recovering from an away defeat against Monaco to put together a six-game winning run in the league phase.

Hansi Flick's side dispatched Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Red Star Belgrade, Brest and Borussia Dortmund, before they staged a stunning comeback in last week's clash with Benfica to add three more points to their tally.

The Blaugrana trailed 3-1 and 4-2 in their trip to the Portuguese capital, but they still managed to return home with all three points after Robert Lewandowski scored his second penalty of the contest to lay the platform for a dramatic late turnaround, which saw Eric Garcia net an 86th-minute equaliser, before Raphinha scored a 96th-minute winner at the Estadio da Luz.

Not content with their goalscoring exploits in Portugal, Barcelona produced another free-scoring display in Sunday's La Liga home game against Valencia, netting five goals in a dominant first-half performance - including a Fermin Lopez brace - before going on to add two more to their tally in the second period to seal a remarkable 7-1 victory, moving the third-place side back to within seven points of leaders Real Madrid.

Barcelona have now won six and drawn one of their seven competitive matches in 2025, ensuring they will take plenty of momentum into their first-ever competitive meeting with Atalanta, with the hosts looking for another strong home performance in the Champions League after winning their three previous European home matches by a combined 12-1 scoreline.

The Blaugrana know that a win would be enough to finish in top spot if Liverpool fail to take anything from their away meeting with PSV Eindhoven.

In contrast to their opponents, Atalanta still have work to do if they are to join Barcelona in the last 16, with the Italian side currently sitting one point above ninth position after winning four, drawing two and losing one of their seven matches in the league phase.

The Italian side began the main draw with a five-game unbeaten run, playing out goalless affairs with Celtic and Arsenal on either side of a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, before they went on to claim back-to-back European victories against Stuttgart and Young Boys.

While they were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid on matchday six, Atalanta produced an emphatic response in last week's clash against Sturm Graz, with Mateo Retegui, Mario Pasalic, Charles De Ketelaere, Ademola Lookman and Marco Brescianini all finding the net in a resounding 5-0 victory.

As a result of that successful home outing, the Serie A outfit are now the third-highest scorers in the league phase with 18 goals to their name, while they also boast the fourth-best defensive record after conceding on just four occasions.

Atalanta may view Saturday's 2-1 league victory against a Como team managed by former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas as a positive omen for Wednesday's difficult European fixture, although they have failed to win any of their last five Champions League matches against Spanish opposition (D1, L4).

However, Atalanta have certainly fared well on their European travels this season, having won all of their previous three away matches in the league phase, scoring 11 times and conceding just once in those fixtures.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Garcia, Balde; Gavi, Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Scalvini; Ruggeri, Ederson, Pasalic, Zappacosta; Samardzic; Retegui, Lookman