Barcelona’s relegation may help them to reach the Champions League in a year’s time. But they have to win the EL

Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League for the first time in the group stage, causing a big uproar in Spain. But paradoxically, it may help the Catalans to play the millionaire competition next year.

In La Liga, Barcelona are only seventh in the table. And given the Catalans’ appalling form, it is very realistic that Barcelona will not even finish in the top four. They are 16 points behind Real Madrid and 8 points behind Sevilla.

Atlético Madrid is another clear contender for the Champions League, while Betis and Real Sociedad are also playing well this season, with 7 and 6 points ahead of Barcelona respectively.

The Catalans can thus find something positive about dropping out of the Champions League. After all, the winner of the Europa League goes straight into the Champions League, a competition they may not even qualify for from their own league.

But that is the rub. It’s easy to say, but winning the Europa League is not going to be easy. Especially if Barcelona keep putting in the same performances as they have been.

And another hitch… Sevilla, a specialist in this competition, are also in the Europa League, of which they are the record winners. Moreover, the latter is doing great in the league, second only to Real Madrid, and can also handle Barcelona. Should the two teams clash in the Europa League, Sevilla will be the bigger favourite.

Either way, if the Catalans do indeed dominate the Europa League, dropping out of the Champions League group stage may not sound so disastrous.

Source: Livesport