Barcelona takes on Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday in arguably the most crucial game of the group.

Heading into the tournament a few months back, no one would have thought that Barcelona was going to struggle in this match. Yet the team enters this game facing a lot of big questions.

For on the list is how well this team can carry on without Lionel Messi. The second is whether this team is as good as last season's edition or whether Luis Enrique's strategies have been exposed and are more susceptible. Moreover, is Barcelona still going to win this group?

All of them are valid and moreso with the loss of Lionel Messi over the weekend to injury. The superstar will be back by Nov. 22's battle with Real Madrid, but by then Barcelona will have played three Champions League games without him. Few think that this Barcelona side will find trouble with BATE Borisov, but the Bayer Leverkusen game looms large for a few reasons.

First off is the fact that Leverkusen leads the group with three points and can certainly afford to settle for a group. Second thing to consider is that Barcelona enters this game with only one point after a dismal display against Roma in its opener.

Most importantly -- this game is being played at Barcelona.

Leverkusen will play Messi in December, but by then the team will have home field advantage and could already have clinched the group with some other solid results going in its favor. The team looked decisive in taking down BATE Borisov at home by the score of 4-1 and a draw at the Camp Nou would put the team well on its way. Couple that with a Roma win against Borisov and things could start looking a bit trickier for Blaugrana.

Of course, Messi or no Messi, Barcelona is still the favored side at home. This will be the team's first true test. Is it a champion without its star or is Barcelona really too Messi-dependent?

Prediction: A 0-0 draw.

Start time is 2:45 p.m. ET and the game can be watched on Fox Soccer 2 Go.