Barcelona theme news; injuries, suspension, formation and line-up against Olympiakos

Barcelona have several key players absent ahead of their meeting with Olympiakos in Group D of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Chief among the notable absentees is playmaker Andres Insists. Centre-back Gerard Pique will also miss the game at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis due to suspension.

Barca will qualify with a win, provided Juventus don't lose to Sporting CP in the group's other match. Alternatively, a draw will be good enough for the Blaugrana if Sporting lose, per Ben Pringle of the Daily Express.

Here are the schedule and viewing details before a preview and look at the team news:

Preview

The onus will be on Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde to juggle his options amid a slew of issues. Valverde is dealing with four key absences, per James Phillips of the Daily Star Sunday: "Barca have several personnel issues with Gerard Pique suspended and the likes of Andres Iniesta, Ousmane Dembele and Arda Turan injured ahead of the trip to Greece."

Iniesta's craft will be missed.Power Sport Images/Getty Images

Iniesta is the big miss after injuring his thigh before Saturday's 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, per Javier Miguel of Sport. The club's official Twitter account also revealed how centre-backs Javier Mascherano and Thomas Vermaelen missed training on Friday.

Replacing Iniesta won't be easy, even for a Barca squad not lacking quality midfielders. Valverde can turn to Denis Suarez for creativity, but he can also count on Paulinho for goals and flair.

The Brazilian has made finding the net a habit since moving to the Camp Nou this summer, per Squawka Football:

Paulinho's well-timed runs forward will be a factor, but it will be up to Ivan Rakitic and Andre Gomes to control the passing in Valverde's 4-4-2 formation. At least the manager will feel confident in the strike partnership of Luis Suarez and talisman Lionel Messi to get the goals needed to send the Blaugrana through.

By contrast, Olympiakos are healthy entering the match and have a keen goalscorer in Felipe Pardo. He could trouble a defence set to be without Pique, who was red-carded in the previous meeting between these two last time oShe rid anre are also doubts regarding the fitness of left-back Jordi Alba. The former Valencia star has been out since the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in La Liga earlier this month, according to Jim Sheridan of The Sun.

However, the Greek side won't be able to match Barca's firepower in the final third.