Barça face the quarter-finals of the Champions League
Futbol Club Barcelona will face the quarter-finals of the Champions League after four years without reaching this phase of the qualifiers. During the last two seasons, Barça played in the Europa League due to their elimination in the group stage of the most important European competition (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en- Catalan/). This time, however, there are no head-to-head restrictions and all teams, regardless of their country, can play any of the other seven qualifiers, even if they have already met in the group stage. Thus, in the draw held this Friday morning, it has been confirmed that Barça’s opponent will be Paris Saint-Germain, a team that has players like Dembélé and Mbappé.
Dates and format of the matches
The quarter-finals of the Champions League will be played in a double-leg format during the month of April. The first legs will take place on the 9th and 10th, while the second legs will be played the following week on the 16th and 17th.
Possible subsequent confrontations
If Barça manage to get past the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain, they will face the winner of the match between Atlético de Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals. Should they reach the final, which will be held at Wembley Stadium on June 1, Barça would play as a local team (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en- Catalan/).
Economic repercussions for Barça
Barça’s qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League has meant an economic boost for the club. In a complicated economic context, Barça has entered a total of 10.6 million euros as a prize for placing among the eight best teams in the competition. To this amount is added the 26.84 million euros received for participating in the group stage and winning four matches (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/). If Barça continue to advance in the competition and overcome Paris Saint-Germain, qualifying for the semi-finals would mean an additional income of 12.5 million euros. In case of reaching the final, there would be a reward of 15.5 million euros in case of defeat, while winning the trophy would involve an income of 20 million euros (https://www.softcatala.org /summary-of-texts-in-catala/).
Focus on the League
Despite the excitement of the Champions League, Barça must keep the focus on the League. This Sunday’s game against Atlético de Madrid is crucial for Barça’s aspirations in the title fight. Currently, Barça occupies third position with 61 points, one point behind leader Girona and eight points behind Real Madrid. Atlético de Madrid, meanwhile, is fourth in the standings with 55 points.
