It's been a long time since Barcelona experienced more difficult moments. The Catalans are in seventh place in La Liga with 16 points less, with a match in hand, than the leader Real, and tonight they could finish the competition in the Champions League - for the first time in the group stage after exactly 20 years.
In the last round of Group E, Barcelona hosts Bayern Munich (21 p.m.) and takes second place in the standings with two points more than Benfica, which welcomes Dynamo Kyiv in Lisbon.
If they surprise Barça in Munich and win, they will advance to the second stage. In case of a draw or defeat, he has to listen to the news from Lisbon, because Benfica also has its own calculation. In the event of a draw or Barca's defeat, the Eagles will need a win against the Ukrainian team for the knockout stage. If Benfica and Barcelona are equal, the Portuguese will go further, who are better in the mutual score (3:0, 0:0).
Benfica also hopes that Bayern will play hard against Barcelona, even though the club from Munich secured the knockout stage earlier.
"We will play with the best team I have available. Greetings to Lisbon, don't worry," Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann promised.
Xavi Hernandez's team, therefore, decides its own fate, but visiting Bayern in the decisive game - is not exactly the position that the fans of the Catalan giant dreamed about.
Although Xavi announced the game to win - which is, of course, the only option, it is clear that the fate of Barcelona depends a lot on the "mercy" of the strong Bayern. Or - the ability of Dynamo Kyiv to surprise Benfica in Lisbon.
In group F, Manchester United has already secured the first place, while the second place will be decided by Atalanta and Villarreal in a direct clash in Bergamo.
The "goddess" must win, a point is enough for the "yellow submarine".
"We have confidence. I believe we can make it to the round of XNUMX. Villarreal is a strong team, they won the Europa League last season, but this is a different competition. We are playing at home, nothing is over, but we believe in passing," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.
There was no winner in the first match in Spain (2:2).
"This is a precious opportunity. We can take a big step and for the third time in history we are placed in the knockout phase. Atalanta is a great team, they have been in the elite for years, they play well in Serie A as well. A big challenge for us," Villarreal coach Unai Emery believes.
The only group in which all four teams can advance to the round of 90 is group G. Before the last XNUMX minutes, Lille, Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg have their calculations and are dreaming of a spring in the Champions League.
Lille is in the best situation, a point against Wolfsburg is enough for him. Interestingly, Wolfsburg can reach the round of XNUMX of the Champions League, but not the Europa League. A win would leapfrog Lille, while a draw and a loss leave them at the bottom.
"We don't feel pressure. After three rounds we had two points, then we beat Salzburg and complicated the situation in the group," said Wolfsburg coach Florijan Kofelt.
In the second match, Salzburg and Sevilla meet. A point is enough for the Austrians, just a win for the Spanish.
"We are excited. We are playing an all-or-nothing game against a top team. Is there anything more beautiful than that", asked the coach of Salzburg, Matthias Seidler.
In one of the combinations, Lille, Wolfsburg and Salzburg could each have eight points, and then Wolfsburg and Salzburg would advance, while Lille would be third.
In Group H, Chelsea and Juventus are fighting for the top spot. The current European champion is better than the Torino team in their head-to-head score and a win away to Zenit brings them first place. Juve host a regrettable Malmo.
Bonus video:
