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Showing posts with label UEFA Champions League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UEFA Champions League. Show all posts

Mar 15, 2024

FC Barcelona has been drawn against the French Champions, PSG in the Quarter Finals of this season's Champions League season. It will be a rematch of some of the most exciting previous encounters. Barcelona hold the slight advantage of playing the second leg at home.

Xavi, will be having a tough day at hand dealing with the pace of kMBappe. The brittle nature of both the teams defense makes the way for another open encounter.

Mar 13, 2024

Xavi's Barcelona side has successfully doused the flames, showcasing a dazzling exhibition of attacking prowess. The lingering question now is how long this reinvigorated form can be sustained!

FC Barcelona - 3 | Napoli - 1

Anticipated as the night for scripting the managerial epitaph of Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona defied expectations, advancing into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Many pundits had deemed this a monumental task for the current Barcelona squad.

The evening laid bare both the strengths and vulnerabilities of Barcelona, evoking a rollercoaster of emotions that has defined their season. Hope remains the guiding force, teetering between the familiar expressions of "Hope Takes us Forward" and "It's the Hope that Kills us." The season's conclusion will determine what we hold onto!

Nov 29, 2023

The match's standout, João Cancelo, secured his place in the starting lineup ahead of Balde on the left flank. His pivotal contributions - scoring the equalizer and setting up the winning goal - established him as a surefire starter for the upcoming weekend alongside Felix.


After a three-year hiatus, Barcelona finally clinched qualification for the knockout stage, navigating a challenging journey since Messi's departure. Despite their struggles, the team's promising start in the group stage made this achievement a foreseeable outcome.

Cancelo's impactful performance sealed Barcelona's 2-1 victory against FC Porto in the fifth group match, a much-needed win following a string of lackluster displays. The team found relief in last night's game, a stark contrast to their recent underwhelming performances.

Aug 26, 2022

Barcelona joins Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in Group C, which is the Group to watch out for in this season's Champions League.

If Xavi was hoping to catch a break in his second year, all hopes were dashed with last night's Champions League draw. Barcelona has been drawn in Group C, which is considered the group of death in this season. Barcelona is joined by Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Viktoria Plzeň in the Group.

Barcelona is on the path of revival and this pairing ideally should not scare us. But in all honesty, we all were wishing for a lesser tough group. That would have eased the season, but now we have to be on our toes every moment. There is no room for complacency and mistakes in this Group for any side. Even the simplest of mistakes could cost dear.

Nov 24, 2021

With the failure to win against Benfica, Barcelona now needs a positive result in Allianz Arena, and that may be not enough!

In the end, Barcelona has to be considered extremely lucky to be still alive in the competition, even though that hope is more or less extinguished the moment you look into the next match. Benfica, who were the second-best team for the majority of the match had a great chance to secure their passage at the end. One has to wonder whether they have to pay a huge price for that miss.

Barcelona's hopes very much lies in the hope that Dinamo Kiev will be able to win against Benfica away from home. Barcelona's last match of the group is against Bayern Munich away from home. Getting a point from that itself is going to be very tough, but Barcelona will be hoping to prevent a massacre in the first place.

Sep 15, 2021

Bayern bossed Barcelona on the Camp Nou pitch like they were taking an evening stroll. Barcelona came well short of putting up a fight. Whether they were interested?

The final whistle came with a huge sigh of relief for many fans including myself. There was a sense of relief that this result was somewhat justifiable to ourselves. This wasn't a humiliation, and Bayern didn't have that many chances also.

In all this, we also validate an unpleasant truth which we all knew beforehand but was not willing to accept. This match showcased the gap between FC Barcelona and other superpower clubs in Europe. We are technically a mid-table team in Europe. Bayern played in second gear for most of the game, shifted momentarily to third gear to score the goals and went back. It was a stroll in the park.

Sep 14, 2021

Barcelona meets the German Champions for the first time after that horrible 8-2 losses.This time Lionel Messi won't be there, last time even that wasn't much of a help!



Let's be honest, if there has been a time not to face the German Champions, that could be this. Some would say, playing them early is a good option. However, I have a completely different opinion about it. Playing Bayern Munich when we are not sure about our best eleven is quite scary. And to make matters worse, many are out of this encounter and many may have fitness issues.

If the odds we see the in the Official OlyBet website paints a realistic picture, we should be pretty happy with anything other than an absolute mauling. Maybe it may turn out to be to our advantage. After all, when the expectations are less, Barcelona is not expected to put up a show. Instead, they could try to grind out the match and at least score an upset!

Feb 17, 2021

By the end of the night, there were no feeling of being hurt. When something becomes routine and expected, people get adjusted to that. The hopes were all ended in the first few minutes.

Barcelona suffered yet another humiliating defeat at Camp Nou going down 4-1 to a KMbappe inspired PSG. KMbappe scored a hat-trick, which many believe indicate a change of guard in World of Football. Honestly, I believe last night's performance doesn't prove KMbappe's greatness, but only a testimony of how bad this Barcelona side is.

By the end of the night, there was no feeling of being hurt. When something becomes routine and expected, people get adjusted to that. The hopes were all ended in the first few minutes. Midway through the match we were going through the motions and were worried about how it will all end in Paris. Luckily there is no hope left for you to be worried about!

Aug 15, 2020

Barcelona suffered their worst ever European defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich losing 8-2. To be honest the scoreline could have been a lot worse!



There is nothing to say or write after what we saw at display in Portugal tonight. The Barcelona team suffered their worst defeat in living memory. Bayern treated them like schoolboys. May be comparing the display of our boys to schoolboy is a disgrace to the latter!

In the end we all felt relieved that it was only 8-2. It could have been a lot worse. Barcelona deserved to lose by at least a dozen goals today. They should thank their luck that the deficit was only 6 goals.

Aug 9, 2020

Despite all those lingering doubts, Barcelona made to the next round of the Champions League courtesy of Barcelona's magician, Lionel Messi. Now for Messi, a bigger Bayern test awaits!


Lionel Messi Inspires Barcelona Victory

FC Barcelona - 3 | Napoli - 1

If there was any doubt regarding whether Barcelona's fate lies in the hand of a single man, this match cleared all that doubt. Barcelona will stay alive so far Messi can create magic like this continuously.

If Barcelona fans were looking for hope in this match, they most probably would have been left with mixed feelings. Barcelona did more than enough to secure the progress but not in a convincing fashion.

Mar 18, 2020


UEFA has pushed the Euro Competition by an Year giving some more time to salvage this Champions League Season.




UEFA is looking at an unprecedented scenario considering the Champions League season, the prospect of canceling the whole season. In his entire history, UEFA Champions League has never been suspended, but Corno Virus may get that done. As I wrote in my last post, we are looking at the prospect of having the Champions League being played somewhere later in the season, and canceling all other domestic seasons.


UEFA's latest announcement indicates an attempt to save the Champions League season in some fashion. The finals date has been shifted from May to June, June 27th to be precise. That gives a month of extra-time. Even if the crisis ends by that time, UEFA will struggle to complete all the matches by the time of finals!


Feb 26, 2020


The 1-1 draw seems to be the most perfect result Barcelona could hope for, especially with the kind of performance on display. But with Busquets and Vidal suspended for the return leg, has Barcelona made life tougher at Camp Nou?



Barcelona Secures a Valuable Draw against Napoli with a Timid Performance

Barcelona produced a lackluster display where the emphasis was more on the fight at hand and less on the skill on display. The affair of last night was more or less like a boxing match where both participants were looking for landing some punches, but not the knockout one! Barcelona made life difficult for them by making some strange starting choices, which had a huge implication the way we played.


In the end, this was not the most desired result but still a perfect one. Griezmann's equalizer gives Barcelona the away goal advantage, which they could build upon at the Camp Nou. Then there is a small problem of finding enough players to make the starting eleven!




FC Barcelona was held on to a 1-1- draw at the San Paolo Stadium in Naples by a spirited Napoli side. Napoli went ahead in the first half through Mertens. For Barcelona, it was the French, Antoinne Griezmann who found the precious equalizer.


Do not miss to watch the highlights below:


Dec 16, 2019


Barcelona has been handed another Italian test in the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 first knockout stage.




FC Barcelona will be facing Italian side Napoli in the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 first knock-out stage. The draw is considered a favorable one for Barcelona, despite the fact that the Italian side made life difficult for Liverpool already this season. Having the second leg at home is a definite advantage for Barcelona.


The first leg will be played at the Stadio San Paolo on the 26th of February 2020. The second leg will be held at the Camp Nou on the 18th of March.


Nov 28, 2019


Lionel Messi once again produced a master class which secured Barcelona the top spot in their Group of this Season's Champions League Competition. The Argentinian Maestro was at his very best scoring one and assisting the other two.



Barcelona Defeats Borrusia Dortmund 3-1 at the Camp Nou #BarcaBVB #Barca #Messi

Once again for the umpteenth time in his career, Lionel Messi was the difference-maker on a night which could have spelled disaster for Barcelona. Courtesy of the 3-1 victory, Barcelona have managed to qualify to the knock-out stages as the group winner. That has put to rest all our doubts regarding qualification!


The Messi, Saurez, and Griezmann (MSG) combination all got into the scoresheet for the second time this season. It's rather significant, as Griezmann didn't start the game and came in as a substitute for injured Dembele. The most positive factor for Barcelona would the way Griezmanna and Messi were combining and the fact that Messi was looking for the French on the left every time.



FC Barcelona vs Dortmund Video Highlights | FC Barcelona - 3, Borussia Dortmund - 1 #FCBarcelona #Barca

FC Barcelona secured their spot in the knock out phase with a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Camp Nou. Messi, Suarez, and Griezmann all scored for Barcelona, meanwhile, Jadon Sancho scored for Borussia Dortmund which was nothing other than a consolation goal.


Enjoy the highlights of the match below.


Nov 27, 2019


One thing is clear, a lose to Dortmund at Camp Nou would spell the death knell to Valverde's Managerial career. Success will allow him to continue, much to the dismay of the fans!.



All Eyes are on Messi as Barcelona faces Dortmund in a Must-win match

Courtesy of their failure to win at the Camp Nou against the bottom-placed team in the Group, Slavia Prague, Barcelona finds themselves staring at a possible option of not qualifying from the group this season. Tonight Barcelona will be facing the German side, Borrusia Dortmund at the Camp Nou. Anything other than a victory will spell trouble for Barcelona's Champions League ambitions.


Barcelona's next match is at the San Siro against a red hot Inter Milan. A win their is near to impossible with the way the team currently is playing. That means tonight's match is literally a 'Must Win Affair' for Barcelona.

Nov 6, 2019


A Ground which was revered and feared by opponents for long is slowly becoming a hunting grounds for even the lesser opposition. Don't go by the unbeaten record, the general feeling is that once it's broken, there won't be any stopping!



Barcelona Struggles against Slavia Prague at the Camp Nou #Barca #FCBarcelona

Everything has to come to an end, even Barcelona's Home win streak too! Barcelona's 16 match home winning streak came to an end at the hands of Slavia Prague, the unlikely of the opponent. In a match where an uninspiring Barcelona side once again struggled; most of the fans are not worried about the winning streak. They have bigger things to worry about now.


At least this match has put rest to certain doubts we had. The doubt whether we will be able to win Champions League after five years, after missing it twice so close in horrible fashion. That doubt has been put to rest. By this showing forget winning, we should get kicked out at the first knockout stage itself.



FC Barcelona vs Slavia Prague Highlights Video | FC Barcelona -0 , Slavia Prague - 0

FC Barcelona continued with their lackluster performance in Champions League with another poor display this time at the Camp Nou. The current Spanish League leaders struggled to score and had to forego with their 16 match winning streak at the Camp Nou.


Watch the highlights below:


Oct 24, 2019


Barcelona had to thank their mercurial keeper Ter Stegan for an undeserving victory against Slavia Praha which put Barcelona's qualification to next round a sure certainity.



Ter Stegan's Heroics give Barcelona a Lucky Victory against Slavia Praha

It doesn't come as a surprise anymore. Barcelona's struggles away from home, especially in Europe, are now a regular thing. Guess we will be literally shocked if we dominate an away game nowadays. Once mediocre becomes a way of life, you tend to accept these kinds of victories. That's why there are idiots calling this victory a tough but important victory.


There should not be any doubt about the quality of Barcelona's display against Slavia Praha last night. It was way below mediocre. We were saved by two moments and a series of saves pulled by Barcelona's Super Man, Ter Stegan. Messi played decently well scoring one and creating another; apart from that everyone else literally was nonsense.

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