"Barcelona have a crunch game against Chelsea coming up this evening in the UEFA Champions League. Having faltered against Olympiacos in the last match, Barcelona find themselves in a difficult situation as they look to break into the top eight, which, at the moment, looks tricky. In fact, the outcome of the match against Chelsea could determine whether the Catalans secure a direct ticket to the Champions League Round of 16 or are condemned to the treacherous playoff round."
"If Barça can conquer Chelsea, they will likely only need to hold serve against lower-ranked opposition to hit the magic 19-point mark, a tally that usually guarantees a top-tier finish. It must also be noted that in this gameweek, some of Barcelona's direct rivals are facing each other, thus cannibalising points off each other. Bayern Munich play Arsenal while Inter Milan play Atletico Madrid. Liverpool, meanwhile, are taking on fifth-placed PSG."
Barcelona faltered against Olympiacos and face a difficult path to reach the top eight. A victory against Chelsea in West London is essential to remain competitive for a direct place in the Round of 16. Three points would narrow the gap and set up a run-in with matches against Eintracht Frankfurt (23rd), Slavia Prague (30th) and Copenhagen (33rd), two at Camp Nou. Conquering Chelsea would likely leave Barcelona needing only to hold serve against lower-ranked opponents to reach the 19-point threshold. Rival fixtures this week increase chances that multiple contenders will drop points. A loss would push Barcelona into the playoff zone, potentially matching them with Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham or Atletico Madrid.
Read at Barca Universal
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