Barcelona are heading into their clash against Porto in the Champions League well aware of the gravity of the situation, with manager Xavi Hernandez wheeling out the ‘final’ cliche before the match. But what exactly do they need to get through?
If Barcelona were to lose to Porto, they would still have matters in their own hands, as per Sport. It would mean the Portuguese side could top the group with a draw or a win in their final match – if they were to be defeated, then it would come down to goal difference between Porto and Barcelona for top spot, provided the Blaugrana beat Royal Antwerp on the final day of the season.
As long as they do so, they will likely qualify, although there is the potential for Shakhtar to win their final two games, in which case three teams would be tied on 12 points. If Barcelona do not beat Antwerp, they would require Porto to get a result against Shakhtar in order to avoid missing out. The only asterisk to that is if Shakhtar and Porto both win handsomely this evening, meaning a seven-goal swing in goal difference, which would put Barcelona in a position where they need to better Shakhtar’s result in Belgium.
As things stand, who, if any, would you keep? 👀 pic.twitter.com/qNapp3yemq
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 27, 2023
Even if they lost to both Royal Antwerp and Porto, Barcelona could still make it through if Porto beat Shakhtar in their last group game in Portugal.
All that said, Xavi Hernandez is in desperate need of a performance to go with a result. As they prepare to take on Atletico Madrid and Girona, two of the three sides above them in La Liga, in their two subsequent games, the Blaugrana are in desperate need of a confidence boost. With Real Madrid four points in front of them, Barcelona risk being cut adrift if they do drop points in those games.
