Knock-outs are up in the air for Barcelona after a draw against Benfica

Even after playing some brilliant football under Xavi, Barcelona fans will be having some mixed emotions. Yes, they will be more than happy because of the way Barca is playing. It should give fans a lot of hope on what the team can do and if Xavi is given the right kind of players. The only thing that they will be disappointed in is that they missed a golden chance to qualify for the knockouts of the Champions League.

It should worry them for obvious reasons. With just one game to go, the Catalan giants will now face Bayern Munich and they need a win in order to qualify for the next round. Yes, Benfica needs to defeat Dynamo Kiev and only that can complicate Barcelona’s hopes.

Now beating Bayern Munich is not just a difficult task. It is definitely not impossible but when you look at both the teams, you will know that the Bavarians are not just strong; they can thrash Barcelona to the Europa League. The team already humiliated Barcelona once this season and who can ever forget the 8-2 margin last year? Thus, Xavi has a very difficult job in hand and if anyone is right for the club at this moment, it has to be Xavi, the chosen one for FC Barcelona according to President Laporta.

Talking about the game, the youngsters put up a stellar show. It’s very intriguing to see 17-year-old, 18-year-old boys representing Barcelona in such an age and delivering for the club. Young Demir’s shot hit the post in the first half while De Jong’s header in the second half was brilliantly saved by Vlachodimos. Both the teams went all out in the last few minutes of the match but neither could make any mark.

Both the teams are in contention to move to the next round along with Bayern Munich. The process is simple. If Barca wins, they go through. If they fail to do that or even if they get a point, Benfica can go through with a win against Kiev. The Champions League is well and truly alive and there’s so much to play for in the last round of the group stage!