With the Champions League group stages coming to an end, the Catalans may face one of five possible teams in their first knock-out round clash in the competition.
The 2012-2013 seasons’ UEFA Champions League saw Catalan giants Barcelona qualify for the round of 16 of the tournament as group leaders.
The seeding criteria for the draws indicate that the country code protects a club form encountering any other fellow domestic rivals in the first knock-out stage.
All 4 of Spain’s representatives, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia and Malaga, have ensured their progress to the next stage
This code will come as good news for supporters of both sets, as it will see F.C Barcelona of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 avoid current Spanish champions Real Madrid in the next round of the tournament. The two may however, encounter each other in the latter stages of the competition,
in case both of them succeed in winning their up-coming ties.
The draws will ensure that Barcelona further avoids the likes of Malaga, and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863.
The outcomes of the rules are hence clear, and states that the Catalan army will be taking on one team from the following five; San Siro based AC Milan, English side Arsenal, Portuguese outfit Porto, Ukrainian based Shakhtar and Turkish club Galatasaray.
From the five listed sides, Blaugrana’s face the prospect of having an easy ride till the next round.
Italian giants AC Milan are going through a troubled patch of their own, as they blushingly qualified for the knock-out stages. With the departure of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-c38029, the Rossoneri are a feeble force and may not be a match for the calibre
of the Barcelona team.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 and the Catalans are deemed favourites for the tie.
However the Spanish giants will relish the prospect of getting one of the other 3 sides, which include Galatasaray, Shakhtar and Porto.
The draws for the round are to be held on 20th of December and only time will tell whom the Catalan giants will have to take on in their first two-legged affair of the Champions League.
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