It was a disappointing week for the two Spanish clubs in Champions League action. Atletico Madrid were defeated 1-0 by Inter Milan in the first leg of their last 16 tie at the San Siro, while Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw in Naples.
At this stage, Barcelona look more likely to progress to the quarter-final stage of the competition, although their inability to defeat Napoli on Wednesday could have a significant knock-on effect for the future.
This is because Barcelona’s chances of qualifying for the 2025 Club World Cup – the first instalment of the competition with the new 32-team format – are now less than they were at the start of the week. Previously, they needed to win three matches (while hoping that Atleti are knocked out by Inter) in order to qualify, but now, Xavi Hernandez’s side would need to reach the semi-finals to book their place, as per Sport.
It means that Atletico Madrid remain in pole position to qualify, although should they lose to Inter and Barcelona defeat Napoli in their second leg matches in three weeks’ time, they would be desperately hoping for the Catalan side to be knocked out in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.
