Is Barcelona out of the Champions League Live again? Group stage elimination scenarios for the Blaugrana
Barcelona needed a win against Inter Milan in their Matchday 4 clash at Camp Nou but could only draw and came close to losing, leaving them on the verge of elimination in the Champions League Live final group stage for the second year consecutive. season.
The Blaugrana could only manage a 3-3 draw, and although they are not yet mathematically eliminated from the Champions League Live, their fate is no longer in their hands.
The big signing of the summer, Robert Lewandowski, scored a brace in the match against Inter Milan, but he came too late as Barcelona had already panicked, losing 2-1 3-2. Various defensive calamities were to blame for his departure.
For the second year in a row, Barcelona seems likely to be destined for the Europa League, a competition that two years ago looked downright inferior to the Catalan giants. Here are the updated standings for Group C with two days remaining.
Barcelona is on the verge of elimination from the Champions League Live
Barcelona will be officially eliminated from the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League Live if Inter Milan beat Viktoria Plzen in their next group-stage match.
In front of more than 92,000 fans at Camp Nou, Barcelona took the lead in the first half through Ousmane Dembele in the 40th minute, winning the break 1-0. The second half, however, was a complete disaster and a total meltdown for the home team.
Gerard Pique went completely blank, unaware that Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella had sneaked up behind him, letting the ball fly over his head and onto Barella’s feet, who leveled the score at 1-1 five minutes. after the break. Then, 13 minutes later, just after the hour mark, Lautaro Martinez put Barcelona center-back, Eric Garcia, through a blender and put Inter ahead 2-1.
Robert Lewandowski staved off elimination for a while by leveling the score at 2-2 in the final 10 minutes, but Inter substitute Robin Gosens seemingly saw Barcelona off with his 89th-minute breakaway goal. Lewandowski scored again to draw 3-3, but a draw doesn’t do much for Barcelona other than delaying the inevitable.
How can Barcelona be eliminated?
With Barcelona sitting on just four points from their opening four Champions League Live games in Group C, they remain exactly three points behind Inter and eight behind leaders Bayern Munich in the group of death.
With just six points to play for, that means if Inter beat Viktoria Plzen in the next round, they would be through to the round of 16 and Barcelona would be eliminated.
In fact, although Barcelona was able to tie Inter in the final standings, the head-to-head results represent the first tie-break rather than the overall goal differential. With a couple of losses to Inter, Barcelona would lose that tie-break, suffering elimination as a result.
Barcelona out of the group stage Champions League Live: how many times has this happened?
However, Barcelona finished third in their 2021/22 group behind Bayern Munich and Benfica, seeing them fall out of the Europa League for the first time in club history.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
| 1. Bayern Munich-X | 12 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 |
| 2. Inter Milan | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 |
| 3. Barcelona | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 |
| 4. Viktoria Plzen | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 16 | -13 |
It means elimination from this year’s competition would mark only the second time in the club’s history that they have failed to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League Live, and potentially the second time they will feature in the Europa League.
Lewandowski fails against it. Inter, Bayern in the Champions League Live
Robert Lewandowski may have scored twice against Inter at Camp Nou on Wednesday to temporarily avoid elimination, but the Poland international has so far failed to impress Barcelona in the biggest moments.
He scored a hat-trick in his first match against Viktoria Plzen, but against his former club Bayern Munich, he remained off the scoreboard, unable to find the back of the net despite seven shots totaling a total of 1.10xG.
In the opener against Inter Italia, Lewandowski cleared again, finding only serve for a single shot in the 18th minute that was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
In Wednesday’s reverse game, he scored a couple but also missed other chances, including a header in the 77th minute that left fans wanting more.
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How much money has Barcelona spent this summer?
The disappointing ending follows a massive summer spending spree that pushed Barcelona’s books to the breaking point. They brought in Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kunde, and Raphinha for a total of 153 million euros. On top of that, they signed Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, and Héctor Bellerin on free transfers and signed Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto on new contracts.
The economic situation was so tight that Jules Kunde had to wait another two weeks after signing to be able to sign up to play in LaLiga, and Kunde and Christensen had clauses in their contracts that allowed them to leave for free if Barcelona couldn’t. register them before the deadline.
The elimination of the Champions League Live is a serious blow for Barcelona, not only because of the loss of prestige but also because of the loss of precious income.
The Champions League Live offers a hefty salary for the clubs that go further in the competition, and the lost prize money will deal a huge blow to the club. They could still bounce back after a deep run in the Europa League, but it will still be far less than a trip to the Champions League Live could bring.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the Clásico on Sunday
Despite European failures, Barcelona remains top of the La Liga table, tied with Real Madrid on points and leader on goal difference.
The Blaugrana remain strong contenders for the national title, but that will be put to the test in what now looks like a do-or-die match for coach Xavi against Real Madrid on Sunday.
The Barcelona coach was already pressured by the Champions League Live situation before the home game against Inter Milan, and now that the club is on the limit, he will have a heavy weight on his shoulders and on his back. Classic. on Sunday.
Real Madrid, who have already confirmed their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League, will feel the blood in the water and will seek to add salt to Barcelona’s European injuries.
However, if Barcelona secures a result at the Bernabéu, it could be a lifeline for Xavi as he attempts to advance with nearly eight months remaining in the 2022/23 season. Champions League Live