Barça is not playing for a title this Tuesday against Naples, but for the Blaugrana the Champions League round of 16 tie has great significance. The club lives in a very complicated situation, both sporting and economic, and being among the eight best on the continent would be a breath of fresh air in many ways.
The Barcelona team did not go beyond the group stage of the Champions League in the previous two seasons and qualifying for the quarterfinals of the highest continental tournament would be a reinforcement for the self-esteem of the team and the entity, gradually eroded in recent years by the numerous sporting disappointments and the difficult financial situation. By defeating the Italians, Barça, especially its players, would have reason to believe that it can once again compete with the European elite, which was the objective set at the beginning of the season.
A victory against Naples would put Barça in the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2020. The last time the Blaugrana reached the penultimate step of the competition, they suffered the embarrassing and historic defeat at the hands of Bayern in Lisbon. The famous 2-8. The following year they fell in the round of 16, again beaten by PSG, and in the last two years they did not go beyond the group stage, again with the Bavarians as one of the executioners. Before these last three campaigns, the Barcelona team had been among the eight best in Europe for 13 consecutive seasons.
With empty coffers, every euro that comes in is vital for Barça’s economy, and being in the Champions League quarterfinals would mean earning 10.6 million euros, which would be added to the 20.8 that the club has already earned for its four victories in the group stage and their passage to the round of 16. Furthermore, dropping the transalpines would allow us to meet this year’s budgets, where it is stipulated that the team will reach at least the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
And if the Champions League represents an important financial income, participation in the new Club World Cup that begins in 2025 would give a good boost to Barça’s coffers. The teams participating in the first edition of the competition will win 50 million just for participating. However, it is not easy for the Barcelona club to get a ticket in the new FIFA tournament. Spain has two places. Real Madrid already has one mathematically and the other is disputed between Atlético de Madrid and Barça.
The Colchoneros have 62 points and the Blaugrana currently have 56 points awaiting the performance of both teams in the Champions League, the last competition before closing the quota of participants. Each victory in the continental tournament grants two points, one point for ties and another for advancing to the next round. In this way, Xavi’s team needs to go to the quarterfinals and hope that Atlético is eliminated against Inter in the round of 16 to reduce the distance and increase their chances of being in the Club World Cup. In the event of a tie on points, the team that has added the most points in this Champions League would win the place.
Winning the Champions League still seems far away for Barça, but reaching the quarterfinals would mean stretching the hope they have had this season. Eliminated from the Cup and far from Real Madrid in the League, an elimination in the round of 16 would throw the Catalan team on a journey through the desert for the remainder of the season. Practically three months without incentives in which only the numerous ills that plague the club would stand out.
