The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Champions League this Friday determined FC Barcelona’s path to the final at Wembley Stadium in London .FC Barcelona will face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals; if qualified, they face Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund’s winner in the semi-finals.
Reasons to be optimistic
The draw, on paper, favored FC Barcelona very well on their way to the final in Wembley. El Blaugrana avoided facing the four strongest and most difficult teams among the seven available to the Catalan club, as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Arsenal were placed on the other side of the final map, and these teams, on paper, are considered as the most difficult teams that FC Barcelona wanted to avoid in the draw, in the first place.
Let us not anticipate events, nor look at the final now, nor let the adrenaline affect El Blaugrana fans, but there are several factors that call for optimism and make us believe in going far in the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain, headed by Qatari Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is considered a traditional enemy of FC Barcelona in recent years, due to the events that brought the two clubs together on and off the pitch. Many consider that PSG, led by Kylian Mbappe, who is largely expected to join Real Madrid next season, holds a paper advantage over FC Barcelona. In fact, given the available factors, Barcelona actually has a chance.
With full readiness and players in top condition, FC Barcelona has the potential to overthrow PSG, elementally speaking. PSG, like Barça, has a complex regarding the knockouts. But this time, PSG’s complex in the UCL is actually FC Barcelona. Despite PSG’s win with Mbappe’s hat-trick at Camp Nou in 20/21, their historical record against Barça isn’t promising.
Another factor that makes FC Barcelona more optimistic is its benefit from playing the second leg at Montjuïc Stadium. A good first leg at Parc des Princes promises a major epic at Montjuïc in second leg from Barça fans. Facing PSG, one of El Blaugrana fans’ most disliked teams, will heighten the fans’ enthusiasm and aggression during the match.
Fun Fact: FC Barcelona already won Europe’s most prestigious trophy when the final was in Wembley. Twice. Once in 1992 and another time in 2011.
El Clásico of La Liga
FC Barcelona faces Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu on April 21, after their PSG match and Real’s City clash. El Clásico outcome will largely hinge on both teams’ psyche post their Champions League quarter-finals. If Barça beats PSG for the semi-finals, they’ll enter El Clásico with full enthusiasm, and vice versa if they lose. The same applies to Real Madrid after the Man City match. Real Madrid leads La Liga, eight points ahead of third-place Barça, with 10 rounds left.
Going through Paris, then what’s next?
If Barça wins against Paris Saint-Germain and qualifies for the semi-finals, they will face Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund. Arguably, FC Barcelona will be more comfortable against both teams than it will be against PSG if they qualify. On one hand, Atletico Madrid, led by El Cholo Diego Simeone, is a traditional opponent for FC Barcelona. Despite not being easy, studying the Atletico is simpler due to their frequent confrontations and La Liga rivalry. As for BVB, Barça considers facing Borussia Dortmund as the easiest opponent. FCB would have liked to face BVB in the round of 8, in the first place.
FC Barcelona has another advantage if it faces one of the two teams in the semi-finals, as is the case in the PSG match, as Barcelona will play the first leg away from home, and will host the return match at Montjuïc, and this is another factor in Barça’s interest if it qualifies for the semi-finals. Nothing is ever easy, but if you qualify, the task of passing through Borussia or Atletico should be less complicated than crossing through the Parc des Princes.
These factors may bring Barcelona a surprising outcome for the first time in years. Once again, we should not anticipate events, the road to Wembley is still long and very, very difficult. FC Barcelona shouldn’t underestimate any of the opponents, because, in any case, the team led by Xavi Hernandez is still going through a crisis in terms of matches and performance. However, with the players faith, coach motivation, and this golden opportunity, we may witness a historic scenario from El Blaugrana. Why not?
Sports Journalists – La Liga specialist, Specifically about FC Barcelona
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