Barcelona face huge must-win clash with Dynamo Kiev as Catalan giants ‘cannot afford to be eliminated from the Champions League’, with £14.3m riding on their knockout qualification
- Barcelona have lost their opening two Champions League matches this season
- The Nou Camp board had legislated for the club to reach the quarter-finals
- Failing to do so could have serious ramifications for the club’s financial future
Barcelona must beat Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday if they are to avoid yet more financial toil.
The Catalan giants have endured a disastrous start to their Champions League campaign, losing to both Bayern Munich and Benfica in their opening two fixtures.
Defeat on Wednesday at the Nou Camp would leave them in a near impossible position to secure a spot in the latter stages of the competition, something the club can ill-afford.
Joan Laporta and Barcelona want the club to make the Champions League quarter finals
According to Sport, Barcelona chiefs have set a target of at least a quarter-final berth in this year’s competition, with the prize money already incorperated into the club’s budget.
That money includes the €9.6m (£8.1m) on offer for reaching the last-16, and a further €10.6m (£8.6m) available for a last eight spot. Entering the Europa League would see them miss out on €17m (£14.3m) in total.
Some of that money has already been accounted for in the £16.9million transfer budget the club hope to have available in January. The sum would be diminished substantially should a last-16 berth in the Champions League be secured.
However, defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica (above) have seen their campaign falter
On the pitch, Barcelona returned to winning ways after the international break, with a 3-1 win against Valencia at the Nou Camp.
The return of Ansu Fati has coincided with an upturn in fortunes on the pitch for Ronald Koeman’s men.
The Dutchman’s future remains very much uncertain, but victory on Sunday quietened speculation on his immediate future for the time being.
Ronald Koeman’s side got back to winning ways on Sunday with victory against Valencia
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