Bayern’s upcoming Champions League opponents Barcelona suffered a setback on Saturday evening, losing 1-0 at home to Real Betis at the Camp Nou. It was a first defeat for new coach Xavi in his fourth match in charge. The Catalans currently sit in seventh place with 23 points after 15 games in La Liga, 16 points off arch-rivals and leaders Real Madrid, who won 2-0 at Real Sociedad.
Decider for Barcelona
After an uneventful first half, Betis originally thought they had scored the opening goal through Juanmi, only for it to be adjudged offside. The Blaugrana had numerous threatening moments in attack, particularly through ex-Dortmund man Ousmane Dembele, but it was Juanmi who settled the contest for the Andalusians on the counter in the 79th minute. Xavi’s men will have to do better on Wednesday (kick-off 21:00 CET) if they are to progress to the round of 16.
Win or rely on others
While Bayern have already secured their place as group winners, Barcelona are still sweating over their place in the knockout stages. With seven points, the Catalans need a win in Munich to be sure of a last-16 berth. If not, because of their defeat to third-placed Benfica (five points), any other result would not be enough if the Portuguese side win their match against Dynamo Kyiv.
Barcelona line-up against Betis: Ter Stegen - Dest, Araujo, Lenglet (L. de Jong 82’), Jordi Alba - Busquets, Gavi (Puig 36’), Nico (F. de Jong 59’) - Abde (Piqué 82’), Depay, Coutinho (Dembele 59’)
Bayern came through a top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash against Dortmund before the meeting with Barca. Here’s the post-match reaction 👇
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