FC Barcelona will begin its journey in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League against Benfica in the round of 16<\/a>. The draw held on Friday in Nyon resulted in a path that is theoretically manageable for the Catalans, although the bracket includes the three surviving German teams in the tournament (Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Dortmund), as well as the runner-up from the 2022\/23 edition, Inter Milan. <\/p> However, Hansi Flick’s team avoided facing Paris Saint-Germain in their first knockout match and, in addition, avoided the most hostile side of the bracket, where other ‘heavyweights’ like Real Madrid, Atl\u00e9tico, and Arsenal are also present<\/strong>, along with an Aston Villa that could also cause an upset. The ‘gunners’ will face the winner of the Madrid derby, while PSG will face Aston Villa or Bruges if they survive the knockout against Liverpool. As expected, the ‘reds’ can only face Bar\u00e7a in a hypothetical final.<\/p> Bar\u00e7a faces Dortmund or Lille in the quarter-finals<\/h2>
In this sense, Borussia Dortmund and Lille will be the possible opponents of the blue and garnet team in the quarter-finals if the Catalans fulfill the predictions by eliminating Benfica. Dortmund already faced Barcelona in the league phase, in a thrilling match in Germany resolved in favor of the Catalans (2-3)<\/strong>. Guinean Serhou Guirassy scored a brace for the hosts, while Raphinha and Ferran Torres (who also scored twice) secured the victory for Bar\u00e7a.<\/p> Borussia finished the league phase in 11th place, which meant they had to play the ‘play-off’ to access the round of 16. The team now managed by Niko Kovac had no problems eliminating the struggling Sporting CP (3-0 on aggregate)<\/strong>, in a tie resolved in the first leg played in Lisbon. There, Guirassy, Gro\u00df, and Adeyemi scored. The return leg in Germany (0-0) was a formality. In the Bundesliga, however, ‘BVB’ is having a forgettable season, as the club is in eleventh place, eight points away from the Champions League spots.<\/p>