The garnet-red-blues started the series by knocking out Viktoria Plzen (5-1), but after that they lost first to Bayern Munich (0-2) and then to Inter last week in Milan (0-1). As the unblemished first-placed Bavarians in Plzen will have a good chance of collecting three points as guests of Viktoria, which has so far been without a point and with a goal difference of 1-12, based on the paper form, Barcelona will enter the Camp Nou with a need to win. Xavi's team would not be able to improve their difficult situation with a draw, but if they lose - and Bayern gain points - they would certainly not be able to reach the top 16, this scenario would give the German and Italian teams a place in the round of 16.
Napoli, the leader in Group A with nine points, would need a home draw against Ajax to achieve this goal. It speaks for the Italians that they have scored the most goals (13) in the group stage so far, and last week they won 6-1 in Amsterdam. In the other match of the quartet, last season's finalist Liverpool will visit Glasgow to host Rangers without a point or kicked goal.
Club Brugge, who led AB four with a surprise flawless performance compared to preliminary expectations, can also qualify for the top 16, for this they should gain at least one point as a guest of Atlético Madrid, while the Bayer Leverkusen-FC Porto match does not end in a draw. With a win, the Belgian team is definitely in the eighth finals. Brugge can also build on their good defense in the Spanish capital: in addition to Bayern Munich, only the Belgian team can boast that they are in the group stage without conceding a goal after three meetings.
In the balanced group D, the promotion cannot be decided yet in this round, the leader Sporting Lisboa will host Olympique Marseille, while Tottenham Hotspur will host the defending champion Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
(Source: Source: sportrajongo.hu, mti/Photo: pixabay)