MADRID, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona plays for its European future in the cold of Kiev when they play Dynamo on Wednesday night.

    Pep Guardiola's side has to avoid defeat to the Ukrainian team to assure its place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

    The reigning champions gave themselves a lifeline in the competition with the 2-0 home win over Inter Milan a fortnight ago to go top of Group F.

    However, with the group so tight, a positive result in the match between Inter Milan and Kuben Kazan coupled with a 2-0 defeat for Barca would see the Catalans crash out of the competition.

    Guardiola's men have only scored five goals in the previous five matches, but their form has improved of late. As well as beating Inter, recent results have seen them dispatch Real Madrid, Xerez and the always complicated Deportivo la CoruNa.

    The good news is that strikers Leo Messi, newly crowned as Balon D' or by France Football, and Zlatan Ibrahimovich are both back to full fitness.

    Ibrahimovich has been in outstanding form after coming on as a substitute and scoring in Barca's last three matches.

    Both are certain to start on Wednesday night, while Andres Iniesta and Xabi Hernandez will play in midfield.

    Xabi is making his 100th European appearance for the club and he told the Catalan paper El Mundo Deportivo just how important the game was to his side's future.

    "We will go through with a win, a draw or even a narrow defeat, but we can never go into a game feeling overconfident. If we fail, it will be a bombshell, because we will be out of the Champions League. We didn't do our homework when we played at home to Rubin (Barca lost 2-1) and now we are playing for our lives," he said.

    Barcelona will have to contend with the cold, but after already drawing in Russia, that is not something they have not experienced before.

    Xabi also highlighted that Barcelona has one big advantage in the game.

    "They will have to attack us and that will leave us extra space," he commented.