MY ACCOUNT
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is “convinced” the LaLiga giants will reach the Champions League last 16 by beating Bayern Munich next month.
Barca’s Champions League hopes hang in the balance following Tuesday’s goalless draw at home to Benfica.
Xavi’s Barca remain second in Group E and two points ahead of their Portuguese counterparts but face runaway leaders Bayern in two weeks’ time with their fate yet to be decided.
Barca last failed to advance beyond the group stage in 2000-01, when they finished behind Milan and Leeds United.
However, Laporta is confident Barca can seal progress to the knockout phase heading into the December 8 showdown in Munich.
“Beating Bayern is something that can be achieved,” Laporta said to Diario AS, with Barca looking to bounce back from the 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
“There is going to be a miracle, I am convinced that we are going to win.
“Xavi is very motivated and very strong. I hope everything goes well for us.
“I think that at the moment Xavi’s arrival has generated a little respect from our opponents. They know we can do it again.”
The stalemate against Benfica was Barca’s 133rd home game in the Champions League, and just the eighth to end as a goalless draw.
Xavi became the 13th consecutive head coach to avoid defeat in his first Champions League game in charge of Barcelona (W11 D2), with Louis van Gaal in 1997-98 being the last to lose his first game (3-2 against Newcastle United).
Barca have only scored two goals in five Champions League games this season; only Malmo (0.2), Dynamo Kyiv (0.2) and Shakhtar Donetsk (0.25) have a lower goals-per-game ratio than the Catalan side (0.4) in the competition this term.
