A four-year-long wait came to an end earlier this week when Barcelona took apart Napoli at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. After all, the result marked the first time the Catalans entered the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League since the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Through to the next round amidst a relatively sub-par season, the development has brought a lot of joy to Xavi’s dressing room. All eyes now are on the draw that is scheduled for Friday.
Dressing room preference
With there being no more restrictions in terms of the opposition teams can face, Barcelona can draw any of the seven teams who sit beside them in the quarterfinals.
The list includes Bayern Munich, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City.
According to Mundo Deportivo, there is only one team the Blaugrana dressing room wishes to avoid being drawn up against – Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The defending UCL champions boast a terrifying squad, great form, and a manager who is one of the greatest in history.
Players like Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Julian Alvarez are all capable of producing individual brilliance and will not have much difficulty in getting past the Catalan defence.
One other reason why the players hope to avoid City is the fact that Pep Guardiola is the manager. With his own disciple Xavi leading Barcelona, they feel the Spanish tactician will be extra-motivated to bring out his team’s A game.
The ideal scenario
This year’s Champions League has not featured many upsets, with most of the top contenders sitting pretty in the final eight. Any match-up, in that sense, cannot be said to be simple.
The lesser of the evils, however, would perhaps be Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund. PSG, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal would all be difficult, yet not impossible to get past while Real Madrid and Manchester City are undoubtedly the most difficult oppositions Barcelona can draw.
