The most interesting details to get you ready for Barça’s third match in Group E of the UEFA Champions League, set for Tuesday at 8.45pm CET in Belarus
Champions. On 16 October BATE Borisov added another title to their display case, beating fellow Belarusians FC Vitebsk 2–1 for the Vysshaya Liga (League Belarusian) championship, their 12th overall and 10th row.
Return to action. Two years after suffering a serious injury, Belarusian striker Dmitri Mozolevski is once again available for head coach Aleksandr Yermakovich.
Shutouts. In 23 games this season for BATE Borisov, starting goalkeeper Sergei Chernik has racked up 16 clean sheets.
1–0 wins. BATE Borisov have won more games by the minimum this season — 12 of their 26 victories — than by any other score.
Five-game unbeaten streak. Since losing 4–1 at Bayer Leverkusen in their first Group E match of the Champions League, BATE have yet to fall, harvesting four wins and a draw.
Aleksandr Hleb. It would have made a nice storyline, but the Belarusian, who played for Barça in the 2008/09, will not face his former team on Tuesday while being sidelined due to injury.
1 in 10. This is the number of wins BATE Borisov have earned against teams from the Spanish First Division, with a lone 2–1 victory over Athletic Club de Bilbao in 2014/15 season to go along with nine defeats.
Borisov Arena debut. FC Barcelona will play for the first time in BATE’s new stadium. The two sides faced off in the 2011/12 Champions League group stage in Minsk — which Barça won 5–0 — since Haradski Stadium, which was BATE’s home grounds at the time, did not comply with UEFA’s rules required to host Champions League matches.
Messi Milestone. It was in Minsk that the Barça striker scored his 194th goal, tying him with László Kubala, making Messi, at the time, the second highest scorer in Club history.
Sergi Roberto’s first Barça goal. The La Masia product and BATE have a special relationship, since made his first team debut in the last Champions League match between these two teams — Barça’s 4–0 victory at Camp Nou in the 2011/12 season.
