CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2025/26
Affordable calendar: Barça's key factor to enter the Champions League TOP-8
Published New:27/11/2025 - 01:43h
Updated New:27/11/2025 - 04:08h
Barça still has options to enter the Champions League TOP-8 at the end of the group stage, although the defeat against Chelsea dropped Flick's team to 18th place. The schedule in the last three matchdays could be Barça's great ally
The FC Barcelona calendar in the final stretch of the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League gives the Catalan team confidence in their goal of advancing directly to the round of 16. To do so, Hansi Flick's squad must enter the TOP-8, which currently has Sporting CP as the eighth and last qualified team.
The Portuguese, thanks to their thrashing at home against Bruges (3-0), have 10 points, 3 more than Barça. In the next matchday, the 'lions' will face Bayern Munich. Barça, for their part, will host Eintracht at Spotify Camp Nou. Afterwards, in January, the Catalans will visit Slavia Prague and host Copenhagen to close out the group stage.
In case of three victories, Flick's team would reach 16 points, which in 24/25 marked the required ceiling to get into the top eight classified.
To make this score count, Barça basically needs two things: to strengthen their goal difference with resounding victories and for the teams currently ahead of them in the standings to lose or draw in the upcoming matchdays.
This last factor, although more complex, is affordable considering that most clubs can reach the final matchday without having resolved their qualification. For now, Arsenal is the only one with a perfect record (5 wins), while four other clubs have 12 points. From sixth place (Dortmund) to twentieth (Napoli), there is only a 3-point difference.
| MATCHDAY | OPPONENT | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Eintracht | Camp Nou | 09/12/2025 |
| 7 | Slavia Prague | Czech Republic | 21/01/2026 |
| 8 | Copenhagen | Camp Nou | 28/01/2026 |
In that sense, Barça can take advantage to climb positions in the last three matchdays, where the schedule offers them the possibility of **facing teams that, at the moment, are in direct elimination zones**.
In addition, two of the three matches for the Blaugrana team will be played at the revamped Spotify Camp Nou. Next, at FCBN, we review the latest news on Barça's last three Champions League group stage rivals.
Eintracht Frankfurt: Matchday 6 (28th, 4 points)
On the sixth matchday, Barcelona will host Eintracht Frankfurt. The Germans, in theory, are the rival of greater hierarchy, but Dino Toppmöller's team, sixth in the Bundesliga, is going through a complicated moment in the Champions League
The team started by crushing Galatasaray at home (5-1), but then only managed to salvage a point in Naples (0-0). The defeats against Atlético (5-1) and Liverpool (1-5) were a knockout blow for an Eintracht that, on matchday 5, was also thrashed on their own ground by Atalanta (0-3).
The Germans will arrive at Camp Nou occupying 28th place with only 4 points and a goal difference of -7. In case of another thrashing in Catalonia, the Frankfurt team could seal their elimination from the tournament.
Slavia Prague: Matchday 7 (31rd, 3 points)
The current situation for Slavia Prague is much more complex. The Czechs, although leading their league undefeated in 16 matchdays, have not managed to win in the Champions League 25/26 so far. Jindrich Trpisovsky's team **only managed a draw in Italy against Atalanta and another at home against Athletic**, both goalless.
Defensively, the team has done an acceptable job, but so far they have only managed to score twice against Bodo/Glimt in the first matchday (2-2). Since then, **they have accumulated 360 minutes without scoring**, including 3-0 defeats against Inter and Arsenal in Milan and Prague, respectively.
Therefore, they occupy 31rd place with just 3 points, awaiting what happens on matchday 6 when they visit Tottenham. Slavia's goal difference at the end of matchday 5 remains at -6.
Copenhagen: Matchday 8 (29th, 4 points)
Barça's last rival in the league phase will be Copenhagen. **The Danes breathed a sigh of relief with a hard-fought victory against Kairat** in matchday 5 (3-2), their first of the Champions season. However, Jacob Neestrup's team has only accumulated 4 points and has a very difficult chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
Before visiting the 'blaugrana' squad, the 'blanquiazul' team must do the same with Villarreal (J6) and host Napoli (J7). Their offense has been better than Slavia's (they have scored 7 goals), but their defense has not. The team has conceded 14 goals, thus maintaining a goal difference of -7.
Away from home, the Danes lost to Qarabag (2-0) and Tottenham (4-0), while at home they drew with Leverkusen (2-2) and lost to Dortmund (2-4). In their league, Copenhagen is fourth, 6 points behind leaders Midtjylland.
