FC Barcelona have qualified for the Champions League knock-out stages after having been relegated to the Europa League after the group stage in the last two editions of the tournament. This is definitely a step in the right direction for Xavi’s team, but sterner tests may be awaiting them in the coming rounds.
Still, the Catalans’ work in the group stage is not yet complete, as they have to take on Royal Antwerp tonight. The result of this match would not impact the chances of advancing to the next round for either team, as Barcelona have already qualified, and Antwerp will be finishing last in the group even if they get the full three points.
However, the match is not entirely without significance for Barcelona. As Mundo Deportivo has noted, two of Xavi’s players, Ronald Araujo and Joao Felix, need only one more yellow card to get suspended for the succeeding game in the tournament.
Hence, if either of the two players receives a yellow card against Antwerp, they will miss the first leg of the Round of 16 tie. As both these players are among the most trusted ones for Xavi, their suspension can significantly impact Barcelona’s chances of advancing to the quarter-finals.
Therefore, keeping in view the relatively little importance of the match, Xavi is most likely to keep this duo on the bench for this match. Ronald Araujo was not even named in the squad for this match at the first instance but was later called up to join the squad.
In addition to these two players, Joao Cancelo, Jules Kounde, Alejandro Balde, Sergi Roberto, and Frenkie De Jong also have a yellow card in the Champions League. If any of them gets two more yellows, they will also have to miss a game with suspension.
