Can FC Barcelona Advance Straight To The Champions League Play-Offs?

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. Barcelona was quite confident coming into their meeting with the Belgian Club Brugge. The Culers expected an easy victory, only to instead be served with a tense 3:3 draw. This wasn’t the end of Blaugrana’s problems. Their next Champions League fixture was a game against Chelsea F.C., in which they were dominated by the English team. There was little that the Catalan team managed to get right before the scoreboard froze at a disappointing 3:0.

Barcelona managed to regain their rhythm in the last two games, winning against both Eintracht Frankfurt and Slavia Praha. Altogether, they managed to gather 13 points throughout their campaign, which, together with their goal difference, got them to the ninth spot in the table. Now, only a game against FC København separates them from finding out their final position.

What Need To Happen Now?

In the new Champions League format, eight teams sitting at the top of the table advance directly to the play-offs. Those who don’t quite make the cut but are still in among the top 24 fight with each other for the remaining spots.

To advance directly, Barcelona needs to move up at least one place. Such a scenario is quite possible given that only two points separate them from the team currently third on the table. PSG, Newcastle, and Chelsea, sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively, all have 13 points to their name. Additionally, the first two will face each other on Wednesday, ensuring that at least one of them will drop a few points.

If Barcelona wins their last game, they have a big chance of moving up. There is, however, one thing that could prevent them from doing so. They aren’t the only team on the precipice of reaching the top of the standings, with the four teams behind them also sitting at 13 points. Therefore, it might be the goal difference that decides who gets to skip the qualifiers. It’s not just that Barcelona needs to win; they need to win big.

End Of My Barcelona Rant

Can the Catalan team advance straight to the play-offs? Of course. What’s more, if they play their cards right, it’s not just that they can, but that they stand a great chance of doing so. Despite many people saying that they have had quite a weak season when it comes to the European competition, they are still only a step behind the top contenders. Now, all that is left for their fans is patiently wait for everything to be resolved on Wednesday.