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After the final group games of the Champions League, Atalanta, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are among the teams who will fight for a chance at continental glory in the Europa League.
However, none of the teams sent down to Europe’s second competition are bigger than Barcelona, who are expected to make amends after their poor continental showing. According to bookmakers, the Blaugrana are very likely to emerge victorious in the Europa League.
Betfair place the floundering giants as favorites to lift the Europa League trophy at Sánchez Pizjuán next May, with the current odds as low as 7.0. The low odds suggest a small show of favoritism because it cannot be easily justified, especially given Barcelona’s recent subpar performances.
The Catalans are expected to turn their fortunes around and improve in areas where they have struggled so far this season. With Barcelona’s currently outside of the top four in the La Liga, Xavi’s men will need to win the Europa League trophy to re-enter the Champions League next season.
Xavi Hernandez is expected to use Europe’s second-tier competition as a stage to blood his young team. For a team used to being in the discussion about winning the Champions League, losing in the Europa League would be a disaster for the Catalans.
This will be their first-ever Europa League run in 17 years and Xavi will be hoping to add a continental trophy to his resume come the end of the season.
Barcelona boss Xavi 'angry' about UCL loss to Bayern Munich
Thomas Muller was reportedly upset after Robert Lewandowski lost the Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi, promising to take it out on Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Barca boss Xavi Hernandez was understandably angry at the final result, having insisted earlier that the Blaugrana could find the necessary win. Following the result, he said:
"Bayern dominated us. We always want to dominate but it was the opposite here. We must demand more. We're Barca. This must be a point of inflection to change the dynamic and many more things."
He added:
"This is the Champions League but this is also our reality. It's the situation we're in. I'm angry. This is the reality and it pisses me off. We have to tackle it. There's nothing else for it."
