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Barcelona ended in second place in Group G of the UEFA Champions League, after the 3-0 defeat at the hands of Juventus on Matchday six. As a result, the Catalans could face a tough opponent in the Round of 16.
Barcelona have struggled under Ronald Koeman this season and their Jekyll and Hyde persona in the La Liga have pushed them down to tenth in the table after the first ten games. However, the Blaugrana looked an entirely different proposition in the UEFA Champions League right from the start of the group stages.
The Catalans kicked off their European adventure with a 5-1 victory at home against Ferencvaros, despite going a man down in the game. Barcelona then traveled to Turin and comfortably won 2-0 against a Juventus side missing Cristiano Ronaldo. Their third game proved to be a real test, but Koeman’s boys still managed to win 2-1 against Dynamo Kyiv at home.
The Blaugrana then dispatched off the same opponents in style in Matchday four, winning 4-0 in Ukraine. A visit to the Puskas Arena in Budapest yielded another positive result, with Barcelona returning with a 3-0 victory against Ferencvaros, their fifth straight win in the group stages.
The Catalans only needed a draw to top the group when Juventus came to the Camp Nou on Matchday six but succumbed to a 3-0 defeat instead. It is a result that Barcelona could be left to rue because it could pit them against a stronger team in the round of 16.
Barcelona will desperately want to avoid Liverpool and Bayern Munich
Barcelona will learn about their next opponents on Monday, when the draw for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League takes place in Nyon, Switzerland. Because the Blaugrana finished second in the group, they will play their first leg at the Camp Nou and the second leg away. The Spanish giants will not face another La Liga side in the round of 16. They will also avoid another clash with Juventus, having already played the Serie A side in the group stages.
However, the list of potential opponents could cause a few worries for Barcelona fans. The Catalans could face Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, or Paris-Saint Germain. These are teams the Blaugrana would have loved to avoid in the round of 16.
As such, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona will be able to stamp their authority in the knockout stages, or whether the defeat to Juventus will ultimately prove to be costly.
