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Barcelona Remain in Top-Eight Hunt Ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League Clash

Boosted by favourable results on Tuesday, Barcelona head into Wednesday’s Champions League clash with renewed hope of securing automatic qualification for the Round of 16.

They need to finish inside the top eight to clinch an automatic spot in the Round of 16. If they miss out, a two-legged play-off will determine their fate.

Barcelona will be without two top attackers for the tricky trip to Prague. Hansi Flick will have to rely on a new-look attack to get the job done away from home.

Barcelona Benefit from Manchester City, Inter Milan, and PSG’s Misfortunes

With 10 points on the board, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona were in 15th place in the Champions League table ahead of Tuesday’s nine UCL fixtures.

Bayer Leverkusen and AS Monaco were both on nine points and could have leapfrogged Barcelona with victories over Olympiacos and Real Madrid, respectively. Both teams lost, meaning no team leapfrogged Barca in the league table.

Arsenal, who have a 100% record in the Champions League, punched their ticket to the Round of 16 with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan. Real Madrid rose to second place with 15 points after beating Monaco 6-1. Bayern Munich (15 points) could take Madrid’s spot if they beat Union St. Gilloise on Wednesday night.

Tottenham took their tally to 14 points with their win over Borussia Dortmund. However, PSG and Manchester City suffered defeats, which makes them vulnerable going into the final stretch of the league phase.

The Champions League winners lost 2-1 to Sporting CP (now 6th with 13 points) despite dominating the game. Man City, meanwhile, were reduced to 10 men and lost 3-1 to Bodo/Glimt. Both teams have 13 points and are now within Barcelona’s striking distance.

Inter, in ninth with 12 points, could tumble down after Wednesday, following their loss against the Gunners. The defeat against Spurs could have the same effect on Dortmund.

How Barcelona Could Automatically Qualify for Champions League Round of 16

Barcelona have 10 points and a +3 goal difference, the first tiebreaker. Man City have 13 points and a slightly better goal difference at +4, Inter have 12 points and +6 difference, and Dortmund have 11 and +4. PSG also have 13 points, but they have a much superior goal difference of +10.

So, if Barcelona beat Slavia Prague with at least a two-goal margin, they will go past Man City, Inter, Sporting CP (due to more goals scored), and Dortmund.

Barcelona would also overtake Atalanta (13 points +2), Atletico Madrid (12 points +3), and Liverpool (12 points, +3) if these teams lose their Matchday 7 clashes with Athletic Bilbao (H), Galatasaray (A), and Marseille (A), respectively.

Overtaking Newcastle United (10 points, +7) and Chelsea (10 points, +5) could be more difficult for the Catalans. The Magpies face PSV Eindhoven at home, whereas the Blues host Pafos on Wednesday.

It is likely to boil down to the Matchday 8 fixtures. With 18 games kicking off at the same time on 28th January, Barcelona fans are in for a nervy ride.

Related TopicsBarcelona Champions League La Liga

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